


Broken Clockwork

by LastEdge



Series: A Myriad Variety [1]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Adoption, Alcohol, Assassins, Brothers, Crime, Drugs, F/M, Fluff and Angst, How could I forget Nick's Blueberry Daiquiris, Interspecies Relationship(s), Mammals with a certain set of skills, Night Howlers, Reunions, Revenge, Romance, Savage but Sane, Science
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2018-12-21 17:12:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 127,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11948859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LastEdge/pseuds/LastEdge
Summary: Friends from the past. Friends of the present. Enemies in the future. Officers Wilde and Hopps both broke the boundary by being the first cop of their kind and are now working as partners. But many new faces are arriving in Zootopia to disrupt the fragile balance. Because Zootopia never ran smoothly, it was always more like… broken clockwork.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone, Last Edge here  
> This is my first fanfic and it's currently on FanFiction.net. But my AO3 acount has finally come through so i'm uploading it here now too.  
> Drop me a comment, let me know what you think, I want to hear your opinions  
> Anywho, enjoy :)

Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep… SLAM! Putong, putong, putong…

Nick groaned as he sat up in bed. Judy had bought him an alarm clock that you turned off by throwing at a wall after he broke his last three. It was still dark outside, Judy insisted they were up bright and early every morning. Grumbling he made his way into the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. Pausing to smile in the mirror and admire his red furred self, his face quickly drooped back down as he stifled a yawn.

After the Night-howler case finished his little bunny friend had once again managed to convince him to apply for police training. Surprisingly, at least for the fox, Chief Bogo had very quickly approved this idea. Nick knew his actions helping Officer Hopps had managed to change the old cape buffalo's opinion of him somewhat but he still had an inkling that a certain grey mammal had something to do with his acceptance.

The academy had been hard, it was meant to be hard for stronger, younger mammals, and the 32-year-old ex-conmammal was anything but that. In fact if it weren't for the fact that recruits were still allowed technology Nick knew he probably wouldn't have made it. Talking to Judy was the only thing keeping him going some days, both physically and emotionally.

Physically, he wanted to work with the little grey doe and that spark kept him moving long after he'd hit his limits training. Emotionally, being a fox at the academy was tough. There weren't many animals open minded enough to accept him at first. Normally this was fine, Nick had lived long enough with the stigma that nothing should phase him. But the academy training was so draining on him that he didn't even have the energy to put up a mask. It had been a long time since what another animal had said had affected him so much.

Somehow he managed to put a smile on his face every time he talked to Judy. There was no way he was going to let her know anything about it. If she did he knew she would march a crusade all the way from precinct one in order to catch the culprits.

The fox had toughed it out, he grew stronger, quicker and more durable. By about halfway through the training he was keeping up with the best of them and this had earned the respect of many and at least the tolerance of the rest. Judy's encouragement had been vital but there was a little voice inside his head that whispered.

_Come on, Nick. This is nowhere near what **he**  went through. If he could survive so can you, after all, you're both just broken clockwork._

Before he knew it he was standing with his peers, dressed in the distinctive blue uniform in the main hall of precinct one. Chief Bogo and the Valedictorian of the class, a bobcat called Lia Clawson, both gave speeches but Nick wasn't paying any attention. His gaze was focussed entirely on a pair of bright amethyst eyes. Officer Judy Hopps was chosen to bestow the badges to the new recruits, a publicity stunt from the PR department, but Nick was feeling extremely grateful to them at that moment.

He could see the pride in the grey rabbit's eyes as she pinned the badge to the chest of Zootopia's first fox police officer. And the smile on his face that day was probably the most genuine one Judy had ever seen on the fox before.

Officer Nick Wilde had been assigned to precinct 1 and, as any mammal with a shred of common sense expected, was partnered up with Officer Judy Hopps. The official notice being that as two of the smallest officers they would need modified equipment and vehicles. Everyone in the department knew, however, that Chief Bogo didn't want to break up one of his best new partnerships.

Not that the old buffalo was favouring them in anyway. Oh no, they got parking duty for two weeks since Nick was just out of training. This very nearly drove Judy, and by association Nick, insane. The fox didn't actually mind parking duty, it gave him time to think, and he still got to spend time with Carrots. But all good things must come to an end and eventually Chief Bogo had to unleash the two of them on an unsuspecting Zootopia.

That was nearly two months, a jewellery store heist, a minor drugs bust, two muggings and a lost cub ago.

Nick really wasn't a morning animal even with the multiple cups of coffee he consumed along with a quick breakfast. Still he was in good enough state to make himself look presentable in his uniform. With a sigh (and a stifled yawn) Nick left his apartment and slowly wandered downstairs and onto the street.

Sure enough, like every morning there was a smallish, green car piloted by a member of the ZPD parked outside his apartment complex. In the past, the sight of a police officer would have been enough for him to turn around and try to escape out a bathroom window but now he just had a faint smile on his face as he approached the vehicle.

Inside was a certain grey bunny police officer, her eyes closed, headphones in her ears and her head bounced along to what had to be a Gazelle song knowing Judy Hopps. Nick knocked on the window a few times before getting through to his partner who unlocked the door for him.

"Morning Nick" said Judy, bright eyed and bushy tailed "ready for another day?"

Nick didn't say anything, just closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the car already smelled like Judy.

"What are you doing?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"Trying to absorb some of your manic enthusiasm" said Nick with a smirk as he opened his eyes looking a bit more awake now "we moving then, Carrots?"

In response Judy turned on the car and revved the engine. Sunlight was beginning to illuminate the city as they headed towards the precinct headquarters. The city was starting to come to life as people took to the street. Nick leaned on his arm as he looked out of the window at the animals coming and going.

Judy's ears drooped slightly as she drove, occasionally she would glance at Nick who was being uncharacteristically quiet this morning.

"You sure you're okay, Nick?" she asked.

Nick started and looked over as his head slipped off his arm. He was quiet for a few moments before he smirked and sat back in the car.

"It's nothing, just the old hustler senses going off"

Judy spluttered with laughter and looked over.

"Really? Hustler sense? What, can you feel that there's an easy mark nearby?"

"Yup, I'm looking at her" came the slick reply as Nick turned to stare into the oncoming traffic.

Judy could tell there was something that Nick didn't want to talk about. She didn't want to make the day have a sour note already so didn't push it but part of her felt a little down that he wouldn't talk to her.

"It's what keeps me alive, that kind of sense" Nick said quietly, distinctly not looking at Judy "and now I feel like there's a big storm coming or something"

Judy didn't know what to say to that but was feeling happier inside that Nick had talked to her about it. Nick sighed and reached for the container he kept at his side. He hadn't felt that worrying tingling down his spine for a long time. Not even during the Night-howler case, Nick smirked, having Judy at his back the whole way, guess there was never anything they couldn't handle.

Nick didn't keep a hipflask, he had a hipbox? A hippacket? A hipcontainer of some kind. Flipping open the top he smiled widely and licked his lips, the thing was packed to the brim with blueberries.

Nick perked up considerably as he sat there next to his best friend and partner and snacked on his beloved berries. Nick held up a berry to the light and stared at it closely before looking slyly at Judy out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't help but grin and as he flicked the fruit towards his driving partner.

Judy Hopps did not take her eyes off the road but her head shot out like a blur and she swallowed the blueberry out of the air.

"Damn, Carrots, are you sure you aren't actually a predator?" asked Nick in sheer amazement, his jaw dropping.

"Why? You falling for me Slick?" said Judy looking across with her own smirk, though this one had a trace of blueberry juice on the edge.

Nick just sort of stared still with his jaw nearly hitting his seat. Judy felt her ears slowly burning up as she waited for any sort of reaction from her partner.

Suddenly a burst of numb tingling spread down Nick's spine and woke him up. His face instantly fell and he pushed his current thoughts to the back of his mind. That was the worst reaction he'd ever had, something bad was happening in Zootopia.

Judy glanced across at Nick again and saw that he'd gone back to how he'd been when he'd first gotten in the car. Her ears drooped all the way down as she focussed her eyes on the road.

The journey from Nick's apartment to the precinct headquarters was fairly short so the quiet and gloomy atmosphere in the car didn't last that long. The car pulled into the department car park and Judy quickly found a spot, since they were early it was pretty empty.

"Sorry for being a downer Carrots" Judy heard as her partner got out of the car in a flash of red.

Judy opened her mouth to say something but just closed it with a small smile. Stepping out of the car herself she found Nick doing an intense set of stretches.

"Okay Carrots" said Nick with one last back clicking stretch "Let's go see what the chief has for us today"

Judy smiled as she dotted down another point of worry in her head.

 _It'll be fine_  she thought  _it's just a silly tingle, he probably sat on his tail funny without noticing, today will be good, he'll cheer up and everything will be back to normal_.

"Am… am I making you get up too early?" she asked as they walked onto the pavement towards the station's main entrance.

"What" Nick looked at her in surprise, this wasn't something he was expecting compromise on "nah it's okay Carrots, too late for me anyway, you've got me running like… clockwork"

Judy noticed that Nick had stopped walking and turned back. Her eyes widened at the expression on Nick's face. He was looking at the crowd on the other side of the road. There was surprise on his face and equal parts joy and fear in his eyes.

 _It can't be_  thought Nick frozen on the spot  _don't you dare start hoping Nicholas Wilde, you know he's probably dead_

Judy reached out gently and touched his arm at which the fox jumped a mile.

"I gotta go Carrots" said Nick as all sorts of emotions ran across his face.

"What?" said Judy shocked "but we haven't even signed in for today"

Nick knew that, although the chief appreciated the two of them, he was never lenient on anyone. If he disappeared now it could jeopardise his work with Carrots. It felt like there was a hand squeezing his heart as he glanced back across the road and then back to Judy.

"Sorry" said Nick as he started to back away "Tell the chief that it's a… a family matter, I'll be back later"

Judy could only watch as Nick ran straight across the road, which thankfully was quiet this early, and then his tail vanished into the crowds.

"Dumb fox, what ever happened to ‘never let them see that they get to you’?" she whispered.

A bit dejected, Judy made her way to the main entrance by herself.

 _I guess he considers me someone who's allowed to see if they got to him_ a little thought popped into her head.

Thinking this, Judy perked up and pushed open the front doors.

* * *

 

Nick ran like the wind using every bit of city skill he had ever developed to move through the crowd. Whenever he saw a patch of black ahead his heart thumped but each time it wasn't what he was looking for. He knew this wasn't likely to even be real but he didn't have a better idea as he ran further away from the station.

The crowd only seemed to get bigger, in size of animal as well as number, and Nick resorted to climbing a lamppost to get a better view. In the distance, just going around a corner, he thought he saw a familiar figure in black and red disappear again.

_In the dark a fox backed up against the wall as three timber wolves moved in growling, knives in hand glinting in the flurry of snow that surrounded them. The fox whimpered and tried to make himself as small as possible eyes darting everywhere looking for an escape. And also looking for **him** , the fox felt cold inside, how could he have just disappeared now of all times._

_As the wolves closed in the fox huddled up and wrapped his arms round his head waiting. All he could hear was the snow howling in the night, looking up the fox saw he was alone. No wolves, just snow. The fox ran in panic from the area as the snow quickly buried five sets of tracks. The fox never saw **him**  again._

Nick's heart was pounding in his ears as he forced his way around and between the other animals in the crowd. As he reached the corner and turned off the main road the crowds began to thin out and Nick could actually see down the street now. He slowly came to a halt, he couldn't see what he wanted to see, a terrible disappointment and doubt rose up inside him.

 _I must have been wrong, I **knew**  I was wrong_ he thought as he stood vacantly on the pavement  _What's wrong with me today, first I worry Carrots, then I bail to go ghost hunting._

Nick sighed and turned around to head back to work when his entire body trembled. He perked up and sniffed the air. In a bit of a daze Nick wandered into an alleyway to his right off the beaten track but about halfway down he frowned, the scent disappeared.

"Okay, okay, you caught me copper" came a languid voice from up above "have I done something wrong?"

Nick shuddered at the voice and turned his gaze upwards. There was someone leaning backwards over the edge of a fire escape on one side of the alley. He was a black panther with bright green eyes similar to Nick's. He was wearing a black shirt with a deep red tie that was almost hanging over his face due to the position he was lying in.

Adrenaline surged through Nick's system and there was a pounding in his ears as he stared at the mammal he hadn't seen in over ten years.

"Broken clockwork…" breathed Nick staring at the cat wide eyed.

The previously supremely relaxed panther, who wasn't actually paying that much attention to the police officer who had followed him, suddenly froze and sat right up bashing his head on a metal railing. Following this he seemed to melt and flow like water down the edge of the fire escape to land on all fours in front of Nick. Standing up, the panther was head and shoulders taller than Nick was, and cautiously approached.

"Nick?" said the Panther staring incredulously at the police fox in front of him.

"Noct?" replied Nick with a very similar expression on his face.

"Nick!" said the Panther called Noct as his face lit up.

"Noct!" grinned Nick.

"Like broken clockwork" they both said in unison as the panther pulled Nick in for a hug.

It had been far too long since he had seen his old friend and the circumstances of them parting had always haunted him. Nick felt his mask slip as it was like they were ten years in the past again.

"Look at you Slick" said Noct as he stepped back for a better view "I'm assuming this is your latest hustle, getting a bit bold to be impersonating an officer ain'tcha?"

"Actually you are looking at the first fox police officer in Zootopia" said Nick slightly embarrassed in front of his old friend "Completely legit"

Nick could still read Noct's face like a book and didn't miss the twitch and hesitation.

"Noctis Lacerda" said Nick almost growling "if you dare pull one of your vanishing acts in front of me I will hit you with every tranc dart I have and leave you handcuffed to a lamppost"

Nick pulled his trademark smirk and could see the panther in front of him relax visibly.

"Well damn" said Noct in wonderment, he was worried his friend had changed but it still seemed to be good old Nick "I knew I'd be out of the news for a bit while I travelled back here but you've got a lot to catch me back up on. Are you free right now? Or shall I catch you when you're off duty?"

"Catch me when I'm off duty" said Nick as he took his badge off and tucked it into his breast pocket "I am now off duty, let's get a drink, I know just the place"

The fox and the panther headed out of the alleyway in search of the nearest place that could give them a good stiff drink this early in the morning.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Judy pushed open the door to the 1st Precinct headquarters and walked into the entrance hall. Officer Hopps wasn't the only person on the force who got up far too early so the building wasn't empty when she arrived. Ahead of her was Benjamin Clawhauser, the chubby cheetah who manned the front desk, entirely too engrossed with something on his phone to notice Judy waiting in front of him.

"So, what is it this time?" asked Judy as she jumped up onto the desk next to him in one go.

Benjamin gave a small shriek as he fell off his chair in shock and disappeared below the desk. Judy leant over the edge to see if he was okay. She needn't have bothered, he was soft and fluffy enough to survive a fall from a three-story building let alone a chair.

"Please don't do that to me so early in the morning Judy" said Clawhauser rather disgruntled as he looked up at her upside down.

"Aw, I'm sorry Benjy" said Judy with a bright smile as he got back into his chair again "I'll buy you some donuts to make up"

"Ooo, can you get the glazed ones from that new place in Savanah Central?"

Judy chuckled as everything was instantly water under the bridge.

"So?" said Clawhauser as he leant forwards, chin on his hands "Where's that foxy partner of yours today?"

Something about the look Clawhauser was giving her made Judy feel as if the temperature was rapidly rising.

"N… Nick has some family matters he needs to attend to today" said Judy quietly looking into her lap.

 _I don't think I've ever seen Nick like that_  she thought  _I hope he's okay_

"Oh, and here I thought you tired him out too much" said Clawhauser with a smirk.

"Ben!?" yelled Judy in horror, while her ears went so red that you could practically see smoke coming out of them.

"I'm just saying you make the poor guy get up so early every day, he’s a fox after all" said Clawhauser, his smirk widening "Why? What were you thinking, Officer Hopps?"

Judy opened and closed her mouth a few times in silence before jumping down from the desk and stiffly marching further into the station. Benjamin watched her go with a twinkle in his eyes as he helped himself to another box of donuts he had stashed away.

 _Isn't she just adorable_  he thought to himself as he returned his attention to his phone and whichever latest app had caught his attention.

An elephant and a hippo hurriedly moved out of Judy's way as she headed towards the bull pen There seemed to be a dark cloud brewing around her and any animal with working instincts vacated her path quickly. Occasionally Clawhauser's name and worrisome laughter could be heard from her. Judy wasn't the first into the bull pen but it was still pretty sparsely populated at the moment. Making her way to her place she hopped up onto her chair and flopped her head onto the desk in front of her.

 _What is wrong with today?_  She thought to herself  _What is wrong with **me**  today? I, I mean I don't think about Nick that way_.

A handsome red fox appeared in her head pulling that trademark smirk of his. Judy shot straight up in the air before slowly sliding down in her chair.

 _I'm going to kill Clawhauser later_  she thought  _this is all his fault._

For once in her life Judy just wanted the working day to be over so she could go home and curl up under the covers. And all this before briefing. Judy had to sit there stewing in her own runaway thoughts till the room had filled up and Chief Bogo had arrived to give the briefing. Looking up from the desk Judy straightened herself up ready for the start of her working day.

"There are a few bits of news before I hand out the assignments today" said Chief Bogo leafing through the paperwork in front of him "most importantly, there are rumours of a major underworld character coming to Zootopia. Even though this is merely hearsay I want all officers to be extra cautious no matter what it is that you are doing."

 _A major underworld character?_  thought Judy  _Zootopia is pretty stable as far as organised crime goes, mainly because of Mr. Big. Is this new animal trying to muscle in? They ought to know how difficult that would be._

"On another note, we have a new officer who has transferred in, Officer Furle" Chief Bogo gestured next to him at a female wolf Judy only just noticed.

Officer Furle had snow white fur with sharp, ice blue eyes. Her face held a calm indifference as she stood at the front of the room. The other wolves in the room were staring at her undisguisedly and Judy now realised why there had been so many wolf whistles earlier.

"I don't care enough for an introduction. Furle, you'll be working with some of our best, I'm putting you with Hopps and Wilde" Chief Bogo pointed at Judy "Where is Wilde?" Chief Bogo asked with a frown as he realised Nick wasn't actually present.

"He's dealing with some family matters today sir" replied Judy crisply.

"Well, at least the important one is still here" sighed Chief Bogo going back to his sheaf of paperwork "right then, Fangmeyer, you and Delgato are…"

Judy zoned out as the chief handed out the assignments for everyone else.

 _Why am I always the important one_  fumed Judy  _Nick is just as good at his job as I am. I trust him with my life, if I didn't have him around I wouldn't be anywhere near as good…_

 _Nor enjoy myself as much_ … Judy's eye twitched at that last runaway thought as her face slapped back onto the table before her.

Eventually it was just her, officer Furle and Chief Bogo left.

"Hopps" said Chief Bogo with a deep sigh "I really don't want to have to ask you this but I'm willing to use every resource available to safeguard this city. I want you to go over to Tundratown and use your better than average connections to Mr. Big to see if he knows anything about this rumoured underworld character"

Judy's ears shot straight up at this, her fast friendship with Fru Fru was not widely known but those of her colleagues that  **did**  know turned a bit of a blind eye. Chief Bogo himself put it down as having insider contacts and normally didn't touch the subject. Officer Furle stared at Judy with raised eyebrows, as a cop, even from another city, she had read up enough on Zootopia to know about Mr. Big.

"I wouldn't ask you this normally" said Chief Bogo "but rumours nearly always have some amount of truth. As much as I dislike the fact, Mr. Big keeps the peace just as much as we do so I expect he will be investigating these rumours just as much as we are. On another note you can inform Officer Wilde that I will be expecting him in my office first thing tomorrow with an explanation"

The buffalo raised a hoof as Judy opened her mouth "I am aware that certain situations can occur at the drop of a hat, I merely wish to hear what he has to say tomorrow. Go get yourself ready, I have one last thing to say to Officer Furle first"

Judy practically bounced off her chair in a salute as she rushed to prepare her things. She was feeling a lot better at the thought of being able to see Fru Fru and her father again, enough to forget that Nick wasn't on duty with her today. This left just Chief Bogo and Officer Furle in the room.

"Officer Hopps is probably the best cop we have" said Chief Bogo slowly as he packed his work away on the lectern at the front of the room "so I would advise that you very quickly get past any reservations you have about working with a bunny cop"

Officer Furle's tail twitched slightly as she opened her mouth but Chief Bogo just turned to look at her and she slowly shut her mouth again.

"If you don't believe me then feel free to go to the gym with her for a few rounds. But I'd warn you, she's sparred with every single person who was present earlier, and the worst she's had is a draw"

Officer Furle's eyes widened as she remembered the size of some of the officers that had been there, there was an elephant in the room for goodness sake. Chief Bogo smiled slightly at the expression on her face and headed for the door.

"And the only draw was with me" he said over his shoulder as he shut the door leaving the wolf with her thoughts.

* * *

 

It had taken a while but Nick had finally led the way to a bar open this early in the morning. It was located near Hill street, close to the border between Downtown and the Rainforest District. The bar was called  _Moonlight_  and took up the top two floors of one of the last buildings before urban jungle became jungle jungle.

Nick and Noct stepped out of the elevator onto the top floor which was an extremely open layout. Whatever walling and roofing there used to be had been removed to make a large, spacious rooftop terrace. The bar was extremely green, more like a beautiful rooftop garden than a watering hole.

Despite the bar being open there weren't any patrons this early which meant the fox and panther had a clear run of the place. Noct's ears twitched as he looked over towards the bar. Unseen, someone was bustling about below the level of the counter.

"Shop" shouted Nick with a grin as Noct snorted next to him.

The hidden bartender seemed to notice their presence and shuffled its way towards the edge of the bar. Stepping into view from behind the bar designed for larger animals was a smartly dressed tapir. He was slightly taller than Nick but much thicker, was wearing a smart casual outfit with a black shirt as bartenders often wore, no tie, and had a nasty looking scar running from below his left eye down his short trunk.

Nick grinned wider as he saw the tapir approaching and Noct's eyes widened. The tapir held up a hand to block the early sunlight and shook slightly as he saw the two mammals walking towards him.

"NICHOLAS WILDE!" shouted the tapir angrily causing the fox to hesitate slightly.

The tapir stormed right up to the fox, who raised his arms while smiling a bit sheepishly, and planted a left uppercut right into the fox's stomach. Nick let out a gasp as all the air was knocked out his lungs, nearly doubling up, before he felt a strong pair of arms wrap around him.

"You don't write! You don't call! You don't visit!" shouted the tapir pulling the fox into his chest "do you have any idea how worried Louise and I have been, you stupid fox"

Noct's face had gone through surprise, worry, amusement and was currently settled on nostalgia as he looked on at the tapir and fox. The tapir at this point released the gasping police officer and turned to look at his other early patron.

"Since you're with this pile of fur then you're welcome here at  _Moonlight_ " said the tapir once again shielding his eyes from the sun "now it's pretty damn early so what can I do for the… two of… Noctis?"

The panther nodded gently at the shocked looking tapir "Hey Albert, it's been a while"

Albert Dreamington stepped towards the big cat in a daze before, gently to the relief of the panther, pulling Noct into a hug as well. By this point Nick had recovered well enough to stand and was watching on, this was a sight he had long since given up hope of seeing.

"You two boys" Albert choked down a sob "where have you been the both of you?"

"Let's sit down first" said Nick softly to which the tapir nodded and led the way back to the bar. The large bar stools had ladders built into the sides for smaller mammals which Nick used. Noct just seemed to flow up the side of the chair like liquid and got comfortable. Albert vanished behind the bar only to shortly reappear after hopping up onto the ledge built into the back of the bar.

The tapir leant his arms on the bar and took a deep breath with his eyes closed. When he opened them again he was a bit calmer as he looked at the two slightly uncomfortable mammals in front of him.

"What happened to you guys?" asked Albert quietly "ten years I haven't seen you two, Nick was slightly better I could at least find out you were still alive in Zootopia every so often, but Noct you vanished off the face of the earth"

The fox and the panther were both silent as they thought back to that dark, snowy night all those years ago. Nick could feel his old friend tense up beside him and let out a sigh attracting the attention to himself.

"I'll leave that bit to you Noct" said Nick slowly, his gaze switching between the cat and the tapir "I expect the both of you want to hear about me I suppose" seeing the nods Nick carried on "after Noct disappeared, being under Mr. Big's wing just didn't feel… right anymore. I didn't cope with one of my few good friends vanishing very well and I began to get… stupid with my dealings with Mr. Big"

Noct could hear the inflections on 'stupid' as Nick said it and his tail suddenly shot straight up as he thought of something.

"Oh god Nick" the panther said with a look of dread on his face "don't tell me you… we agreed that was a terrible idea never to be spoken of again"

"Yeah you guessed it" grinned Nick ruefully "after you vanished I ended up going through with the skunk hide rug plan" the panther next to him sat his chin on the bar and covered his head in his hands whining quietly "after that plain idiotic idea my relationship with Mr. Big was… not good. I felt too ashamed to ever come and see you Albert, especially as I then ended up as a small time conmammal, you always tried to get us out of that line of work."

The Tapir was frowning as he listened but didn't say anything yet and let Nick carry on talking.

"Me and Finnick have spent the last few years hustling around all the districts apart from Tundratown as much as we could. Until, about eight months ago a certain rabbit hopped into my life" Noct raised his head at this, it definitely wasn't what he was expecting. A slight understanding was starting to appear in Albert's eyes "Judy Hopps, for your information Noct, is Zootopia's first bunny cop" Nick frowned at the unsure expression on his friend's face "I'd stop what you're thinking there Noct, Carrots is one of the best cops in Zootopia"

"Carrots?" blurted out Noct raising an eyebrow before shaking his head and waving Nick to carry on.

"Nobody expected much from her at the time but somehow she ended up taking on the Night-howler case, at the time just fourteen separate missing mammal cases" now this Noct  _had_  managed to hear about while out of the city and he started to fit little bits of information together in his head "one of the missing perps had a tenuous link to myself, I sold him a pawpsicle, so miss bunny cop ended up out hustling me into helping her out"

At this Noct snorted, laughed, couldn't get it under control and fell off his chair.

"I knew you'd do that" sighed Nick dramatically "You wound me Noct. Anyway, we ended up getting caught by Mr. Big while looking for evidence"

Noct leapt back onto his chair and stared at Nick worried.

"Thankfully I had Carrots with me" said Nick smiling faintly "Otherwise I'd have been Iced no two ways about it"

"The rabbit saved you?!" said Albert incredulously "How? Turn out she's an illegitimate daughter of Mr. Big or something?"

"Closer than you think" chuckled Nick "Judy had managed to save Fru Fru's life a day or so earlier. When Mr. Big found out, he basically adopted Judy, she's now godmother to Fru Fru's first kid, who she also called Judy. As a side effect, I am now forgiven for my past sins, which is… nice"

"How is Fru Fru?" asked Noct slightly pained "and Koslov and… Mr. Big?"

"Oh no" said Nick "you wanna find out, go visit yourself, you weren't on bad terms when you vanished. So we had a lead now which led us to the missing animals but not the right mastermind. Carrots managed to… slip up at a press conference which caused us to… part ways temporarily"

Noct's ears twitched as he picked up the slight pain in his friend's words. He knew there was something more to it than that but he could also recognise that the fox seemed to have gotten over it.

"Predators were viewed at an all-time low since at this point nobody knew about the Night-howler serum" Nick's voice softened slightly "Carrots turned in her badge because she felt she'd made the city worse for predators. But nothing can hold back Officer Hopps, she found the Night-howlers, found me again, and found the villain responsible all while wearing an outfit making her look like a simple country doe. That should have brought you back up to speed on the past right Noct?"

"So now you going to explain this?" said the panther gesturing at Nick's uniform while leaning an elbow on the bar.

"Getting to it, getting to it" smirked Nick "so Carrots managed to convince me to go on the straight and narrow. Be a cop with her. I finished the training course about two months ago I guess. Don't think I could have done it without her, or you for that matter" said Nick glancing at Noct.

"Me?" said Noct intrigued "and what did my non-present self do for you?"

"I kept thinking back to all those stories you told me about your life growing up, training didn't seem quite as tough then. Besides if one half of Broken Clockwork can do it then so can I"

"Yeah" said Noct raising an eyebrow "except that I was trained from a young age whereas you were doing it as a 30-something year old ex-con"

"details, shmetails" said Nick shrugging "I got through it anyway so you are now looking at the first fox of the ZPD. Carrots is my partner and everything is sunshine and rainbows" finished Nick with a smirk.

"So that is what happened" said Albert slowly "I hadn't heard all the details about the Night-howler case, your name wasn't mentioned for one. And when I heard that the city had its first fox police officer I didn't think it could be you, which I am very sorry about" the tapir broke out into a giant smile.

The three of them sat in silence for a few moments before Albert stirred.

"Now, I know you came to visit again Wilde but I also expect you two came for a drink as well so what can I get you, on the house for my boys"

Noct glanced across at Nick and grinned as they locked eye contact "Nick will have a Blueberry Daiquiri that I seem to remember you make so well"

"And he'll have a Brandy Alexander if I remember correctly" chuckled Nick.

"Ah, I haven't had one of those since I left" sighed Noct "Nowhere does drinks like Albert does. Speaking of which, when did you get this new place? You were based in that little bar over in Savanah Central last I remember"

"Louise was never happy there" said Albert as he deftly walked the bar picking up the bottles of alcohol he needed "We always wanted to be closer to the Rainforest District so I was pretty happy when this place came on the market" the tapir started to expertly mix the two drinks at the same time while keeping his attention on Nick and Noct "So, come on, I knew most of what Nick had been talking about, I do at least try and keep some tabs on him. Let's hear your side of the story"

Nick started feeling very nervous even though he wasn't the one who was about to be speaking. He'd waited ten years in order hear something, anything, about why Noctis Lacerda had vanished that dark, snowy night. There was quiet as Albert finished mixing the cocktails and slid them forwards on the bar. Noct picked his up and took a sip, a look of bliss spreading aross his face.

Nick reached out for his own stunningly delicious Blueberry Daiquiri (according to the fox at least) when he heard a light pattering sound next to him. Tears were running down Noct's cheeks despite the happy expression on his face as the panther shook slightly.

"I… you really don't know just how much I have missed this" Noct whispered gesturing at Nick, Albert and zootopia in general. He took a deep breath and calmed himself, looking up to see the concern in both the other mammals' eyes "Don't worry about me, I'm fine, right let's see. I guess it all ties back to my family"

"Of course," growled Nick feeling his neck prickle "it had to be to do with them"

"Not quite how you're thinking buddy" sighed Noct suddenly looking very tired "anyway we'll have to go back to that dark, snowy night ten years or so ago…"

 


	3. Chapter 3

Judy left the bull pen and jogged towards the shared offices. Each of the ZPD officers had their own desks situated in several shared rooms. The desks, of course, were designed for animals up to the size of elephants so Judy and Nick shared a desk. As she was late out of briefing the room was already empty as the other officers had gone to take care of their assignments for the day.

Judy hopped up onto the chair which she would normally share with Nick.

_Not thinking about that_

She busied herself with sorting the small amount of paperwork on the desk, a few reports she and Nick had finished but hadn't handed in yet. Thankfully everything there was completed and just needed filing away in the suitable pigeon-holes. Which meant that she didn't spend long enough in the office to really feel the absence of her partner.

 _Come on Hopps_  she thought  _You can catch up with Nick after your shift finishes and get the insider scoop then_.

Perking herself up, Judy tidied the desk one more time before leaving the now empty office. Now that the paperwork was out of the way she needed to go find Clawhauser. Officers always carried a tranc gun with them at all times, a cop was never really off duty, only time they didn't was when they were on suspension. Other than that, all Judy needed to do was grab the keys.

 _Oh, and a jacket_  Judy kept forgetting to wrap up warm whenever she went to Tundratown, probably because she mainly only travelled there to see Fru Fru and Mr. Big  _I wonder if Officer Furle has been issued with winter gear yet._

Judy thought for a moment before nodding to herself and heading on a slight detour to the building's quarter master. She was very motherly looking elephant called Mrs. Ivory, who cared very deeply about all her officers. Not that the giant mammal should be underestimated, oh no, she was an ex-SWAT captain. Add to that the fact that the storerooms she looked after also contained the department armoury, and you find that the quarter master's territory was probably the safest part of headquarters. Judy knew for a fact that there was always at least two tranc guns and a live fire rifle within easy reach below the counter.

Mrs. Ivory was far too caring of her officers to care about the fact that Judy was a rabbit and had been one of her staunchest supporters from the beginning despite their little contact.

"Hi Mrs. Ivory" said Judy walking up to the free counter as the elephant leant forwards and broke out into a warm smile "I need a winter jacket, and could you get me one for a female wolf as well, I don't know if the new officer has visited you yet"

"No she hasn't been by yet Judy dear, I'll be right back" the elephant stood up and walked down the aisles of shelving visible behind her that contained all kinds of equipment. Her trunk allowed her to reach equipment at all heights and she very quickly returned with two different sized winter jackets "Here you are, do you need one for your partner too? I haven't seen him today"

"Nick isn't in today, he has some family issues to deal with"

"Oh dear" gasped Mrs. Ivory, her motherly instincts kicking in "Do you know what's wrong?"

"N,No I don't" said Judy slightly faltering, her ears drooping. But they perked right back "but I'm sure I'll find out later"

"Of course you will Judy dear" said the elephant smiling warmly "I don't think I've ever seen the two of you apart, with a friendship like that of course he'll tell you about it once it's all sorted out"

Judy felt a burst of warmth at that and felt a lot happier. She grabbed the jackets from the counter, her own was fine but the one for Officer Furle covered her almost completely. With a muffled "Thank you" to Mrs. Ivory Judy staggered towards the dispatcher desk where she would find Clawhauser.

Thankfully the quarter master's counter was located only one corridor away from the main auditorium so Judy didn't have to struggle for too long. Clawhauser watched the walking pile of jackets approach his desk in a rather wobbly path and raised an eyebrow. Only when the jackets tumbled to the floor to reveal Judy did he realise what was going on and let out a little chuckle.

"Do not push your luck Benjy"

Something about Judy's tone of voice made the overweight cheetah sit bolt upright in his chair and purse his lips in silence.

"I still haven't forgiven you for earlier, it's messed up my whole morning, you can forget about me buying you those donuts now"

Clawhauser seemed to sag at the thought of not getting those donuts when he ran through what Judy had just said in his head. Judy was glaring at the big cat but her expression faltered when she saw the same smirk from this morning appear on his face as Clawhauser leaned towards her.

"And just how  _was_  your morning messed up, Officer Hopps?" asked the cheetah with a twinkle in his eye.

Judy's eye twitched as a blush started to run up her ears, hurriedly she turned her back on Clawhauser and stood there, arms crossed with her left foot thumping on the tiles. And that was how Officer Furle found them, one rather distressed looking rabbit with scarlet ears and a portly cheetah with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Ah, Officer Furle" said Judy going back to her normal self at the sight of the wolf "I wasn't sure if you'd been equipped properly yet so I grabbed you a winter jacket, Tundratown shouldn't be underestimated"

Officer Furle stared at the bunny for a few moments before shaking her head slightly and accepting the jacket with a small smile.

"Please just call me Lunette" said Officer Furle with a voice that brought to mind icy water rushing through a green and white forest "thank you, not many Officers are that thoughtful back where I come from"

"What a lovely name" exclaimed Clawhauser with his usual enthusiastic squeal "where are you from Lunette?"

"This is Benjamin Clawhauser, receptionist, secretary, dispatcher…" Judy frowned as she looked at the cheetah "What exactly is your job Benjy?"

The cheetah just waved Judy's introduction and question aside as he waited for Lunette to answer.

"I transferred here from Los Antleres" said Lunette softly at which Clawhauser's face fell abruptly.

"B,but doesn't that city have a huge problem with…" Judy asked quietly.

"Police corruption and organised crime?" said Lunette with a sigh "yes, yes it does. Despite having to get used to a police chief who actually cares about his city, I am very glad that Zootopia is home now instead"

"Well we're very happy to have you here Lunette" said Clawhauser returning to his normal cheery self "especially the other wolves on the force" Clawhauser winked at her.

"Well you can let them know I'm taken" said Lunette with a small frown, she had certainly noticed the attention she had received in the bull pen this morning.

Judy noticed the squeal of joy that was building up inside Clawhauser and grabbed Lunette by the arm and marched her towards the door before their ears could be shattered. Clawhauser noticed and internalised his happiness.

 _Oh you are telling me all about this later miss Furle_  he thought as he reached under his desk for the keys that he knew Judy had come for and now forgotten "Judy" he said loudly as he tossed the keys in her direction.

Officer Furle looked back at the noise in time to see something shiny and metallic fly at them. Her hackles rose as she prepared to dive out the way when Judy jumped lightly into the air and grabbed the keys out of the air without looking. Lunette realised what had happened and felt slightly embarrassed, this wasn't Los Antleres anymore. She also looked down at the little rabbit next to her with more respect, Judy's action seemed small but the skills and reactions needed were no joke.

Watching the bunny in front of her Lunette realised that there was probably a good reason for the talk Chief Bogo had given her. She followed Judy to the police cruiser they were using, modified so that Officer Hopps could drive it of course.

Judy took a deep breath as she sat in the driver's seat, sure having someone else sitting next to her was helping but she knew deep down that it wasn't Nick.

"Are you okay Officer Hopps" asked Lunette slightly concerned.

"If I'm calling you Lunette then you are calling me Judy" said the grey doe slightly exasperatedly "you may have noticed that my partner is not present today, I, I guess I just miss the dumb fox"

"Fox?" Lunette stiffened slightly in surprise.

"Yes, Nick Wilde, first fox police officer in Zootopia" said Judy slightly icily as she gripped the steering wheel harder "is there a problem with that?"

Judy looked over to see a very complicated expression on Lunette's face, Judy relaxed slightly, it seemed there was more than just prejudice behind the wolf's reaction.

"No, I don't have any problems" said Lunette as Judy started the engine and the cruiser pulled out of the station "I apologise for whatever impression I gave. Los Antleres may be the biggest pile of crap to live in but almost because of that there isn't really any discrimination based on species, or pred/prey. I guess that's why the Night-howler case shocked me so much. I have nothing against him for being a fox, nor feel there is anything wrong with him being friends with a rabbit."

Judy felt herself warm up to the wolf as she listened to her tales from another city, one a lot worse than Zootopia.

"I'm not even surprised that he's a cop" said Lunette softly "there are quite a few fox cops back in Los Antleres, often in positions of power. It's just… I've never seen one that wasn't involved in police corruption" Lunette hurriedly raised her paws as she saw Judy's face growing stormy again "I,I'm not holding it against him, really, this is Zootopia not Los Antleres. It's just a little… hard for me to forget my past experiences"

Having heard her reasons Judy felt like a weight had risen from her. She had a good impression of the wolf so far and she didn't doubt that she was a good cop or Chief Bogo wouldn't have accepted her transfer.

"Don't worry about it" said Judy focussing on the traffic "I'm not saying Nick isn't an asshole sometimes but… he's my best friend and I trust him with my life, so just give him a chance"

"You two seem very close" said Lunette with a gentle smile.

"Y,yeah I guess we are" said Judy very quietly almost sinking into her seat "What about you?" she asked to divert her attention "You told Clawhauser you were taken, that was a bad idea, he will get the whole story out of you eventually"

Judy's expression fell as she saw the sadness on Lunette's face "I'm sorry, I didn't… you don't need to talk about it"

"It's okay Judy" said Lunette sadly rubbing her eyes "I'll tell you at some point, it's just… very… complicated. So, tell me about our assignment today?"

"Well you see…" Judy started retelling the Night-howler case from when she saved Fru Fru in Little Rodentia, to discovering that she was Mr. Big's daughter, to being made Godmother of Fru Fru's baby "and now Mr. Big has essentially declared me part of his family"

Lunette had been following this tall tale in amazement as she listened to Judy's adventures with Nick. She couldn't help bursting into giggles "So, the great Judy Hopps actually turns out to be part of the mafia"

Judy's ears started to burn up again "What do you mean ‘the great Judy Hopps’?" she asked curiously.

"Oh come on Judy, news travels, especially something like the Night-howlers, they don't just grow near Zootopia you know" said Lunette calming down a bit "the case was spread as far as possible as was the antidote just in case anything happened in other cities"

"You… you mean?" asked Judy very quietly.

"Oh yeah, you are known in just about every city in the country" grinned Lunette as Judy seemed to steam next to her "of course some don't believe a rabbit could have done it and that it's all a publicity stunt, but just as many know  _all_  about the heroic Judy Hopps" Lunette sighed slightly "Los Antleres was one where they didn't believe it, I'd like to apologise for how I thought about you at first. Good thing I got to meet you huh"

Judy hated all the media attention she could get even now and the thought of  _more_  cities was a bit much for the little bunny. She tried her best to shove her discomfort to the back of her head as they crossed the border into Tundratown and suddenly they were in a snow flurry.

Lunette's ears perked up as she excitedly looked out the window taking in the sights. Judy noticed this and wondered what it was that made her a little confused.

 _Ah I see_  she thought grinning  _I guess this is how Nick felt when everything seemed so new and exciting to me. It still is exciting for me..._

_If Nick's there…_

Lunette looked over in concern as the grey doe next to her smacked her head into the steering wheel.

"I'm fine" groaned Judy waving a paw at Lunette "I'm just not happy with Clawhauser right now" she blushed slightly at Lunette's quizzical expression "anyway, have you never seen an arctic district like this before?"

"Not really" said Lunette excitedly looking back out the window again "there aren't many cities as advanced in climate control as Zootopia, the closest you can find in Los Antleres are indoor snow domes for certain mammals to cool off in. I grew up in the city so I've never seen snow quite like… this"

The childish sense of joy coming off Lunette was rather infectious and Judy could feel her own mood improving drastically. The two of them moved away from these rather serious topics and just chatted to get to know each other a bit better. Judy found that Lunette was delightful company, gentle, filled with a sense a justice like her own, with a sense of humour that fit with Judy very well. Lunette on the other hand discovered just who the real Officer Judy Hopps was as a person. The two of them were fast becoming firm friends as Judy pulled up the car outside the looming walls of a large mansion.

"Now I need to go over a few things before we go in" said Judy very seriously as the two of them put on their winter jackets. Lunette could hear Judy's tone of voice and listened carefully "Do not say anything if you can help it while we are dealing with Mr. Big. If you do remember to be very polite and respectful. Stay close to me, no wandering or touching anything. If we get some time with Fru Fru then you can relax but otherwise… please just be careful okay"

Lunette felt herself warm a bit despite the cold at the rabbit's words, she could tell Judy did consider her a friend from the concern. Lunette nodded and the two of them exited the car into the surging snow and wind. Lunette gasped at the sudden cold and pulled her hood tighter around her head. Luckily it was bright and sunny despite the snow storm so Lunette could still find Judy's silhouette and follow her into the mansion grounds.

As they approached the impressively sized mansion Lunette could make two large shadows guarding the doors. As they approached they could be seen to be two polar bears standing as if the snow didn't exist. Lunette felt rather nervous as they got closer but before anyone could say anything the two bears opened the door and let them straight in.

 _What on earth?_  wondered Lunette as they entered a large, beautifully decorated and, most of all, warm entrance hall  _ah, I see, an animal that small wearing ZPD gear coming here could only have been Judy. I guess she really is considered family_.

A badger dressed in a smart butler's outfit, who Judy greeted as Wesley, politely took their coats away to be dried. Other than this the two police officers didn't meet any other mammals as Judy led the way deeper into the mansion. Something in the building was gradually eating at Lunette's nerves but she couldn't figure out what it was. Eventually Judy stopped in front of a large pair of double doors, faint voices could be heard from the other side. Judy knocked on the door and stepped back while Lunette stepped a little closer behind her, Judy looked back and gave her a comforting smile that made the wolf relax a little bit.

The voices on the other side of the door stopped and movement could be heard. The door in front of them opened a crack and a hulking polar bear in a black suit over a black turtle neck loomed over them.

"Hi Koslov" greeted Judy warmly "Is Mr. Big available?"

Lunette was frozen in place, this was the scariest looking bear she'd ever seen, and she'd seen quite a few in Los Antleres. The bear's face didn't change as he saw Judy but his eyes warmed slightly and the pressure Lunette could feel dropped considerably. Koslov closed the door for a moment and more quiet voices could be heard. The next time he opened the door Koslov stepped to the side and gestured for them to enter.

Judy happily walked inside with a bounce in her step while Lunette hurriedly stuck to Judy's back like glue. Inside was a dim room with wood panelling around the walls with tasteful paintings hung. Sat in his chair on top of the gorgeous hardwood desk in the middle of the room, with Koslov stood guard behind him, was Mr. Big.

The arctic shrew's face melted into a smile as soon as he saw Judy, gesturing for her to come closer. Judy motioned for Lunette to stay still and approached the mob boss. She kissed him on both cheeks as was customary before he let her step back to get a better look.

" _Mio Bambino_ , Judy, it is wonderful to see you again my child" said the mafia leader kindly "what brings you to my humble abode while on duty? And who is your friend" the shrew gestured at Lunette.

"It's good to see you as well Uncle Big" the shrew seemed very happy that Judy called him that while Lunette's tail started shivering "This is Officer Furle, a friend of mine"

"Anyone Judy calls a friend is welcome in my home" said Mr. Big " _Ricevere_ , welcome"

Lunette felt as if an entire mountain had been lifted off her shoulders as she relaxed and her tail resumed its gentle movements.

 _I need to buy Judy a drink later_  Lunette thought to herself before paying attention to the rest of the room again.

"While I'm glad that I got to visit again I'm afraid I do have some work to deal with as well" said Judy a little sheepishly.

"Of course, I expect nothing less from that old buffalo, for you to come here in uniform"

"There have been reports that a major underworld character has entered Zootopia" said Judy seriously "Chief Bogo is hoping that you know whether there is any truth to these rumours"

"Hmm,  _beninteso,_ of course. I can tell you for a fact that there is definitely one animal from the underworld who has arrived. However, this person is an information broker, the best, and your chief does not need to worry about them. In fact, if you can find them they are very likely to help you as they are what we call a  _Carattere Grigio_ " Mr. Big waved his hand vaguely "a grey character, they are not a criminal per se. More worryingly there are rumours that one Perseus Albicauda has come to Zootopia. Even we have only heard rumours so far but I very much would like them to be false, Albicauda is a dangerous animal"

"Thank you Uncle Big" said Judy beaming "This means a lot, really"

"It is nothing to help you out a bit my chil-"

"He was here" interrupted Lunette, there was a deep growl coming from Koslov for interrupting Mr. Big and Judy's ears fell flat. Lunette however was not paying any attention to that and was sniffing deeply around where she stood with her eyes closed. Mr. Big watched on in silence, his thoughts hidden "He was here, the Shade" said Lunette opening her blue eyes and looking straight at the mafia boss.

She couldn't work out what exactly it was about the mansion that had been grating on her the whole time. And now she knew, it was the scent, she could smell him, especially in this room.

"Do you know where he has gone?" she asked Mr. Big her voice shaking slightly.

The mob boss waved at Koslov to calm down while staring intently at Lunette. He could see that she was no longer standing nervous in his presence, there was adrenaline and many complex emotions running through her eyes.

" _Esattamente_ , just so" said Mr. Big slowly "I have met with the information broker known as the Shade, I asked him to look into the rumours about Perseus Albicauda, but I will not tell you anything else, so what will you do?"

Lunette stared down the crime boss for what felt like an hour to Judy before she spoke "I will keep looking by myself, I have come this far without assistance"

There was a tense silence filling the room, Koslov's eyes were extremely cold and Judy was twiddling the ends of her drooping ears.

Clap, clap, clap, clap…

Mr. Big was gently clapping his hands while looking at Lunette approvingly. Judy realised that things hadn't devolved as much as she thought.

"Judy, my child, you have a very good sense of people" said Mr. Big with praise "look after her, she'll make you a fine ally"

"JUDY!"

Everyone turned to look at the door where the excited shout had come from. At the bottom of the door another smaller door had opened revealing another arctic shrew.

"Fru Fru" called Judy happily as the little mammal shot across the room towards her.

"Look at you in your uniform" said Fru Fru who had run up Judy to stand in her hands "very athletic, figure hugging, I expect the guys are all over you"

"Fru Fru" Judy glared at her little friend.

"Oh alright" said Fru Fru dramatically rolling her eyes before leaning in to whisper "we both know you only have eyes on one mammal"

"Fru Fru!" came a shocked meep from Judy her ears starting to blush as a flash of red shot through her mind.

"So, who's your friend?" asked Fru Fru deciding she had teased Judy enough… for now.

"This is Lunette" said Judy her ears drooped over her face to cover her blush till she calmed down

"You, are,  _beautiful_ " squealed Fru Fru "how do you get your fur like that?" Lunette lowered her head bashfully while her tail was wagging "Have they finished talking to you Daddy?"

"Yes, yes" said Mr. Big happily "you children go have fun"

Judy led Lunette out of the room still with her ears held flat against her head to hide their red colour. Fru Fru's excited voice could be heard echoing down the corridor as they moved further away. There was silence left in the room as Mr. Big steepled his fingers.

"Are you perhaps wondering why I did not tell Judy everything?" said Mr. Big quietly, he could easily feel the confusion in his subordinate, Koslov nodded slightly "As dear to me as Judy is, and I consider her a sister to Fru Fru, I cannot be giving up all my secrets to that old Buffalo now can I"

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Ten years ago**

Downtown, the shining centre of Zootopia, with soaring buildings, bright lights and happy animals. Or so it appears on the surface. As is often the case, if you can scratch away the glossy exterior you'll find the inner workings of the city, and it's often far darker, grittier, and grimier than you expect. Despite the city centre seeming so bright and open, there are shadows, if you know where to look.

Tucked away in a gap between two skyscrapers, which could only be accessed by first going  _through_  one of the towering buildings, was a tiny alley. Well, it was more appropriate to call it a courtyard since it was completely sealed between the skyscrapers. And at one end of this courtyard was a small building.

It seemed remarkably out of place, obviously not built at the same time as the buildings surrounding it. It was only big enough for one room from the looks of it, no windows, just one door with frosted glass making it hard to see inside. There was only one thing of interest and that was that the glass was carved with hundreds of small interlocking gears. It looked very pretty as a pattern but gears would never turn if you built them like that.

A figure stepped out of one of the back doors into the skyscrapers and furtively made its way towards the tiny building while glancing up at the surrounding walls. Stepping into the only light in the courtyard, located directly over the tiny building's only door, was a nervous looking male zebra. Hesitating slightly the equine reached out and knocked on the door.

"Come in" came a muffled voice from within.

Opening the door, the zebra stepped into darkness, no not darkness, dimness. Especially compared to the light over the door outside. As their eyes adjusted to the change they began to make out parts of the room. There was a thick oak bookcase directly to their right covering the entire wall, the slightly musty smell of old books filling the room. Straight ahead of them was a giant grandfather clock slowly ticking away. To the right, in the centre of the room was a sleek wooden desk with a dim desk lamp and a series of filing cabinets running along the wall behind it.

The only other thing in the room was the mammal sat at the desk. It was a red fox dressed in a smart business suit wearing sunglasses despite the low light levels in the room.

"Welcome to Broken Clockwork" said the fox gently making no effort to move.

"A fox?! A fox runs Broken Clockwork?" blurted the zebra before he could stop himself.

The fox made no sign that he'd taken offence at all, his face still a picture of calm indifference, his eyes hidden behind the dark lenses of the glasses. A deep growling however filled the room setting the zebra on edge, hurriedly he looked around but the room was empty of just the fox and himself.

"We are a two-person business, sir" said the fox gesturing at the chair in front of him "my partner is always present" the zebra cautiously approached and sat down while glancing around again. The room was definitely empty, right? "So how can Broken Clockwork assist you today?"

Shivering slightly despite the fact that the growling had stopped, the zebra decided to ignore the fact that he was dealing with a fox. The mammal hurriedly pulled out a large, brown paper envelope. He was only a messenger and his employer had told him that the less talking he did the easier it would be for him.

The fox had seen his type before and didn't push anything, simply picking up the envelope and slicing open the top with a claw. The zebra sat in silence, fidgeting slightly as the fox removed the documents and sat back in his chair to read through them. The only thing that filled the room was the ticking of the old grandfather clock.

Tick… tock, tick… tock…. Tick… tock, tick, tock, tick… tock… tick, tock… tick, tock, tick…

Only now in the silence did the zebra pick up how… broken the old clock sounded, the off-tempo noise grating on his mind and just adding to the pressure he felt. After what felt like an age the fox placed the documents back inside the envelope and sat forwards.

"You can tell your employer that Broken Clockwork will accept their request, they do not need to return here, we will visit once the task is complete"

The zebra felt a wave of relief before he mumbled some sort of parting and dashed out of the room as fast as possible. There was silence for a moment as the fox leafed through the paperwork in front of him before there was a throaty chuckle that filled the room. The fox snorted as the mask of calm indifference broke and he burst out laughing as well. The shadows at the top of the large bookcase stirred and a pair of green eyes loomed over the edge.

"For once would it kill you to meet a client with me, Noct?" asked the fox reproachfully.

"You know I don't like dealing with strangers Nick" came the reply as Noctis Lacerda stretched out on the top of the bookcase "besides, old habits-"

"Keep you alive" finished Nick Wilde with a snort as he took the sunglasses off his face and flicked the envelope up to the big cat "Some important political family, their kid got in a bit of a scandal, they covered it but a competitor managed to get their hands on some pictures"

"So, they want the evidence gone?" asked Noct as he flipped through the sheets of information slowly "That's fine, I can deal with that, this doesn't look any more difficult than the groundhog case last spring"

"I know, that's why I took it"

"Why Nick, it's almost like you're looking out for me" drawled Noct lazily as his ears flitted towards his partner "You okay? I know that twitch"

Nick smiled sheepishly and stretched out over the edge of his chair "yeah, it's just that tingle down my spine"

"Well we both know to trust those hustler senses of yours" grinned Noct "especially after that case with the hyenas by the docks, you think it's this job?" Noct batted the envelope he was holding.

"No I don't think so, I think it's something else that's going to happen today, speaking of" said Nick focussing his attention back on the door "visitor number two"

Nick slipped his sunglasses back on as Noct faded back into the shadows above the bookcase. There was no silhouette at the door this time before it was slammed open. A much smaller mammal walked into the room, took one look at Nick all dressed up and burst out laughing. Nick sighed as he took off his shades again as Noct reappeared over the top of the bookcase.

"Alright Finn?" asked Noct partly hanging over the edge "or you got a job for us?"

"Yeah right" snorted Finnick in his usually deep voice "as if I could afford to hire the fancy Broken Clockwork to fix my problems"

"You know the sights, smells and sounds are a show right" said Nick exasperatedly gesturing at himself, the dusty old books and the broken grandfather clock "It's all a hustle Finnick, besides, if you did have a problem we'd give you a discount"

"Yeah, how's 5% sound" grinned Noct from up high "but seriously, you got a problem, Finn?"

"Nah" said the fennec fox hopping up onto the other chair in the room "ain't seen the two of you in a while so I thought I'd drop by"

"You know we keep asking you to join us here" said Nick slouching in his chair "Broken Clockwork doesn't need to always just be a duo"

"You know what I said last time you asked" said Finnick waving his paw dismissively "this gig is way too uptight for me, I'll stick to hustling less important people, and no way I can do Noct's part of the job"

It was true that the three of them hadn't met up for a while so, since business was always rare but profitable and it was getting late anyway, they closed up shop and went to get a drink. Nick hung his jacket over his shoulder and suddenly he appeared far more casual. Now, often when Nick and Finnick went drinking by themselves they'd get shady glares for both being foxes. With Noct around they still did but the cat was extremely observant and each glare would find itself matched by a rather intimidating pair of emerald eyes.

"Woah buddy" said Finnick slightly concerned "You're really putting those beers away Nick, what's up?"

"Ah don't worry about that Finn" replied Noct in the fox's stead "we, uh, actually have a meeting with Mr. Big this evening, I think Nick's just filling up on some liquid courage"

Nick knew enough about what he was doing, no way was he going to meet Mr. Big drunk, so he soon moved onto water. The three friends wiled away the hours catching up since their last drinking session. Gradually the sky outside grew dark, as if the whole city was now inside the little courtyard their office was in. Finnick waved his goodbyes as he wandered off to find his van while Nick and Noct headed for the nearest train to Tundratown.

* * *

 

**Nick's POV**

Thankfully the trains were regular and efficient, the two of them were going to have plenty of time to get to their meeting. Nick quickly put his jacket back on as he felt the cold rush through his bones. To be honest it really wasn't enough but thankfully the station they had chosen wasn't too far away from Mr. Big's mansion. Noct on the other hand was still just dressed in a black shirt and trousers like he always was, Nick often wondered if the panther didn't have any Siberian tiger blood in him. It was dark now and the constant snow storm around Tundratown made it very hard to see. Two pairs of green eyes floated through the flurry of snow as Nick and Noct walked along in silence.

Nick felt a shiver run down his spine, one that wasn't anything to do with the temperature. Noct obviously picked up on it as he stiffened up as he walked next to Nick.

 _I really hope that this tingling isn't for our meeting with Mr. Big_  thought Nick feeling like there was an unseen pressure pushing down on him  _I, I mean we have these meetings all the time, Broken Clockwork has his approval, which has saved our hide more than enough times._

The night seemed to be leaning in around him which was a very unnerving feeling for an animal with nocturnal instincts. The snow storm seemed be blowing stronger, blocking off the rest of the world. A tingling numbness the like of which Nick hadn't felt before shot from the back of his skull all the way down to the base of his tail.

Concerned Nick looked over at his partner and then… the next few moments seemed to pass by in slow motion.

The snow was like a curtain floating gently in the air.

A faint buzzing whine filled Nick's ears.

Something struck Noct's left shoulder knocking him off his feet to lie in the snow.

A flash of crimson joined the white hanging in the air.

Nick stared at Noct in shock, frozen as a patch of red seeped into the snow around the big cat's shoulder. Sounds of movement close enough to be heard over the snow caused Nick's head to flick round. In a daze, he watched as three silhouettes appeared out of the night walking towards him and Noct.

_Noct!_

His head spinning round fast enough to feel his joints click Nick felt a coldness far worse than the weather take hold of him. Noct was gone, the only evidence he was there was a red stain that was already disappearing in the constant snowfall.

In the dark a fox backed up against the wall as three timber wolves moved in growling, knives in hand glinting in the flurry of snow that surrounded them. The fox whimpered and tried to make himself as small as possible eyes darting everywhere looking for an escape. And also looking for him, the fox felt cold inside, how could he have just disappeared now of all times.

As the wolves closed in the fox huddled up and wrapped his arms round his head waiting. All he could hear was the snow howling in the night, looking up the fox saw he was alone. No wolves, just snow. The fox ran in panic from the area as the snow quickly buried five sets of tracks. The fox never saw him again.

* * *

 

**Noct's POV**

Thankfully the trains were regular and efficient, the two of them were going to have plenty of time to get to their meeting. Nick quickly put his jacket back on as he felt the cold rush through his bones. To be honest it really wasn't enough but thankfully the station they had chosen wasn't too far away from Mr. Big's mansion. Noct on the other hand was still just dressed in a black shirt and trousers like he always was, Nick often wondered if the panther didn't have any Siberian tiger blood in him. It was dark now and the constant snow storm around Tundratown made it very hard to see. Two pairs of green eyes floated through the flurry of snow as Nick and Noct walked along in silence.

Noct could feel his partner shivering next to him, this was expected when you take a stroll in Tundratown, but the panther knew Nick inside out. That definitely wasn't a shiver due to the cold. To be fair, Noct agreed with Nick's sixth sense, there was something about today that had been grating on his nerves. His senses were running on overtime, testing every scent and sound that wasn't smothered under the blanket of snow.

The fox next to him suddenly shook visibly, concerned Noct glanced to the side before he felt a powerful force hit his left shoulder. There was a flare of pain as he was knocked off his feet into the snow. Shock ran through his system, pain and adrenaline dulled his thoughts for a moment, and while he wasn't thinking he acted as he was conditioned to.

Noct rose on all fours and slunk a few meters away into the night, bright green eyes watching from the dark. His sense of pain was quite reduced anyway as he stood stretching his shoulder up and down feeling the wounded muscles. The bullet had passed through cleanly, wouldn't leave any problems in the future and wouldn't impede him now.

 _Why go for a shoulder or body strike?_ Noct's mind was running like haywire  _Ah, bad conditions, sniper must be to immobilise_.

As he watched, three silhouettes appeared walking to where Nick still was. The three wolves there to finish him off obviously hadn't been filled in much as they started to surround Nick. A flash of anger in Noct's mind was swiftly supressed.

Under instinct Noct stood up straight as pole with his left arm tucked into the base of his back above his tail. As he approached the wolves silently his right hand clenched with just his index finger extended and a single claw exposed. Before the wolves could discover his presence in the storm Noct struck, lightly stabbing at the backs of their necks as their bodies went slack. Noct grabbed the three before they could fall and dragged them into the night.

He winced, dragging three unconscious wolves was a bit of a struggle with an injured shoulder. Judging from their reactions they were just random thugs picked up to finish the job. He wouldn't get any important information out of them so he dumped them on the roadside.

Looking up Noct was just in time to see Nick running for his life into the night. He watched his partner, his best friend, hell, his brother basically, disappear into the blizzard. Noct slowly approached where he'd been shot. Standing in the same place he frowned as he touched his bullet wound.

On the roof of a building at the end of the street a moose in winter gear was packing away a rifle and fitting it into a briefcase next to him. He was awaiting a call from the three wolves who were supposed to be on clean up. He didn't notice a shadow slipping over the lip of the roof and sliding up behind him. The first thing the moose did notice was a sharp pain at the base of his neck and a few points down his back. Before he could reach a hand back the moose suddenly found that he couldn't move at all. His eyes widened as a panther slunk out of the dark in front of him, a panther that he had previously only seen down the scope of his rifle.

"Who hired you?" rumbled the big cat, his eyes dull like he was looking at an ant or beetle.

_Who do you think I am, an amateur? Like hell you'll get anything from me_

"Ursa Major hired me" said the moose as a look of horror gripped him and the mouth he didn't seem to have control over anymore.

"Why?"

"The Lacerda's are gone, I'm clearing up loose ends"

The moose could only sit there in fear, unable to move a muscle as the panther closed his eyes. Opening them Noct held his palm out in front of the moose and blew gently. The moose saw black dust billow strangely into his face and that was the last he remembered.

"Figures" spat Noct bitterly "they can't even die out without messing around with me"

Noct heaved the moose up onto his good shoulder and disappeared from the rooftop. The next morning a delirious moose was found wandering around Mr. Big's inner territory, he was never seen again. Nor was Noct.

* * *

 

**Present Day**

Nick Wilde and Albert Dreamington were staring at Noct in a daze. Nick had only ever known his own experiences from that night and Albert hadn't known anything of the sort since Nick had not told many what had happened that night. Noct sighed and reached for his drink only to realise he had finished it while retelling the past.

"Another?" asked Albert quietly, who began rustling up another Brandy Alexander at the panther's nod.

The open bar was quiet except for the clinking of glasses.

"You know" said Nick slowly causing Albert's ears to pick up as he carried on mixing the drink "after everything had calmed down, I mostly pieced together what should have happened. Still sounds a bit out there hearing it from you"

"Really? You know exactly why and how all of that could happen" said Noct with a grin before they both began to recite "Extreme physical training from a young age. Advanced knowledge and application of chemistry, biology and psychology. And a little black panther magic"

Albert gave a snort at this as he handed another drink over to Noct. Taking another sip, the cat settled back down to continue.

"After that first attempt failed I couldn't stay in Zootopia. Not when my presence put you in danger Nick, hell next time we could have been with Finnick or Albert. So I left though I made sure to finish that job we just picked up, something about a scandal"

"I did spend a good few weeks in hiding" chuckled Nick "but when nobody ever came back to the office I realised what you'd done"

"Well I couldn't go leaving you  _too_  much in the lurch now could I, that was the best I could think of before I left the city"

"The Lacerda's" said Nick tersely, his distaste evident "Are they?"

"Yes" said Noct with a deep sigh "whatever the catalyst was, the family obviously managed to make some dangerous enemies. I travelled in the vague direction of the family home, I stopped by various safe houses on the way, they were mostly still secret and useable" the panther paused, deep in thought "despite how much I hate them all, and perhaps only you understand quite how much Nick, I am still a Lacerda. Seeing my family home razed to the ground was a pain I was not expecting to feel about them again"

Nick clenched his fists, he hated Noct's family just as much if not more, listening to stories of his childhood, and to the nightmares his friend would get. But more than that he felt his heart clenching at the thought of Noct standing there forlornly in front of the ashes of what was once his home.

"They were obviously past their prime" said Noct disapprovingly "couldn't even take all of their enemies with them. Still, I guess that's partly my fault for not accepting my place as the next head of the family. They deserved it too. After that I just started to drift."

"Did you?" asked Nick a bit nervously, playing with his drink "you know?"

"No Nick" the panther smiled at the visible relief on his old friend's face "You know I wouldn't touch the family business with a giraffe sized barge pole. I actually took a leaf out of your book I'm afraid to say, started to run hustles as I moved from city to city. I was never as good as I remembered you being though"

There was quiet as the panther pondered for a while before finishing his drink again, Nick joined him this time.

"Made some acquaintances, wouldn't get close enough to call them friends, and a fair share of enemies. But you know me, disappearing is my favourite hobby, nobody ever knew they wanted to catch me before I was on to the next town. And I guess that's that, eventually I ended up wandering back into Zootopia, against my better judgement"

"Yeah? I want to have a word with that better judgement of yours then" Nick knew that wasn't all there was to this. As the two of them settled back into their old ways he noticed he could still read his friend like a book "Okay is it Mineral? Vegetable? Animal?" Nick read the twitches on his friend's face "So Animal…" he took a gamble "Male or female?" and got a reaction "Oh-ho, now I never expected Noctis Lacerda to have girl problems"

"Can we please… avoid that for now" winced Noct before an evil smile bloomed on his face that Nick didn't like the look of "So Nick, tell me about this rabbit of yours"

"She, Carro-Judy's not mine" replied Nick a little too quickly Noct noticed "I said it before she's probably the best cop in Zootopia, definitely a cup half full kind of girl, it's rather infectious actually, I mean, just look at me" he gestured at his uniform "I knew her, what, three days bar a bit of time apart and she saved a city and managed to convince  _me_  that I could do something right for once. I trust her with my life and it's in good hands believe me, she could probably give you a run for your money"

Noct, though Nick would never, ever admit it to others, could read his foxy friend just as easily as Nick could him. Nick running his mouth about the glory of Judy Hopps was as good as looking into the fox's soul for Noct. The panther smiled gently at something the fox obviously hadn't noticed himself yet.

"Ah right" said Nick remembering something "my hustler senses had been going off all day before I saw you across the street. That wouldn't have anything to do with you right? I am a cop now and I would really like to not have to arrest you for  _anything_ "

"Nick" said the panther holding up his paws and crossing his heart "I swear on us as brothers that I have never killed anyone nor ever will, nor do I plan on crossing the law" the fox relaxed at this "well, not that would get you in trouble anyway"

"What  _are_  you going to do?" asked Albert who had been keeping quiet this whole time, in fact he'd made  _himself_ a drink and joined in "If you need somewhere to stay this place is always open to you"

Noct smiled genuinely, enjoying the warmth of friends that he hadn't felt in a very long time, not properly.

"You don't need to worry about me" he said smiling "I've somewhere to stay, and actually" he looked over at Nick slightly apprehensively "I, I was planning on reopening Broken Clockwork"

Nick's eyes widened at the thought.

"I'm not asking you to quit being a cop and join me" said Noct quickly "and you know that we never did anything bad, it'll feel a bit odd I expect but I reckon I can keep it going with just one of us"

"Yeah" said Nick his voice breaking a bit "it'll be good to have you back"

"Okay" said Albert loudly clapping his hands, breaking the quiet "now that we've all caught up, my boys are back and I think we all need several more drinks" reaching under the bar he pulled out some heavy-duty jugs of alcohol "I haven't brought this stuff out since the opening celebration of this place" the tapir chuckled at the terrified expression on Nick's face before he turned to Noct "Why do you think this place is called  _Moonlight_?" he said pouring out three shots of the crystal clear liquid.

The bar started to fill with happy noises, talking, shouting, laughter as they drank away the past.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Money.

If there was one word to describe Officer Lunette Furle's current situation, it was money. She was sat rather stiffly on a chaise longue alongside Judy and Fru Fru. Who each had their own chaise longue.

 _Who has a chaise longue in their bedroom?!_ She thought to herself  _Let alone three! And they are all different sizes!_

As she glanced around furtively, the sheer amount of wealth involved in the room was a little frightening actually. The walls were decorated with authentic paintings, there were sculptures dotted around the room, Lunette could see a walk-in wardrobe and did not even want to consider the cost of the outfits hanging there.

Lunette was a beat cop just like Judy, had been back in Los Antleres and still was now. She had never been as close to the rich and wealthy as she was now and it made her very nervous. Lunette tried to stay as far away from anything in the room as possible, which was tricky since she couldn't fly. Judy and Fru Fru had been happily catching up since their last meeting, a coffee morning a weekend or so ago.

"Lunette?" asked Judy noticing her partner's discomfort "are you okay?"

"I, I'm ok" said the wolf wincing slightly that she'd been noticed "I'm just not that used to all… this" she gestured about the room "your room is a bit more extravagant than I've ever seen before"

"Oh this isn't my room darling" chuckled Fru Fru into her paw "I'm married and a mother now, I don't still live with Daddy. This is my old room, I just use it for when friends visit now"

Lunette's ears fell flat against her head, she would never be able to get her mind wrapped around the ways of the rich and powerful.

"We could go somewhere else if it would make you more comfortable" said Fru Fru gently.

"No, it's not anything to do with you" said Lunette shaking her head "I just haven't ever been in a situation like this before. There's no way how you and Judy became friends could happen back where I come from"

"And where is that?" asked Fru Fru interestedly not noticing Judy's ears droop.

"Los Antleres" said Lunette softly as Fru Fru's paws flew to her mouth in surprise "I was quite lucky really; my family was fairly secure and middle class. We never had to deal with being homeless, or not having any food, or drug problems. But we never really had enough money, even so we were doing pretty well in that city. Los Antleres is one of the biggest piles of crap you can find" Lunette frowned slightly "and unless you were extremely rich you couldn't escape that fact. I had to see muggings, drug addicts, prostitutes, gang members, the works, every time I walked to and from school. And this was in one of the better neighbourhoods."

Now that she was talking Lunette relaxed a little bit and tucked her feet up onto her seat as she got more comfortable. Judy was happy to see that and smiled as she carried on listening to the wolf.

"In Los Antleres ignorance is bliss, even if that is a false ignorance, ignoring anything that happens can be the only way for a mammal to survive. And that is exactly how I was taught growing up, I can't even fault my parents for it, they did a damn good job raising me. There was only one problem" Lunette smiled sadly "I never listened. I watched the people in my city and it hurt. I wanted to make life better for people in that hellhole. Luckily, I'm a wolf, so being a cop was fine in society, even if my parents were against it"

Lunette looked at Judy for a few long moments causing the grey doe to get rather embarrassed.

"I don't think I could have done what you did here Judy, proving people's prejudices wrong. But I didn't have to, I had the drive to get through my training easily and I could finally start helping my city. It was wonderful at first, I felt like I was making a difference but as time passed I started to notice the truth. The people we arrested, hardly any of them actually got punished, charges never seemed to stick, there was always an alibi"

Judy could feel her ears drooping, she like most people had heard rumours about Los Antleres but hearing about it in person made it cut closer to home than she liked. The thought of Dawn Bellwether, and what could have happened to Zootopia if they hadn't stopped her, crossed her mind.

"I was new and fresh though" continued Lunette waving a paw "I figured that since some charges actually led to convictions then I just needed to work harder and make more arrests. So I did. And it didn't work. I knew I wasn't alone, I had countless colleagues and we were all trying to help, yet we weren't making a difference. It took me a while before I'd matured enough, gained enough experience, to recognise what was actually happening" Lunette looked down at one of her paws for a moment as she subconsciously clenched them into fists "I wasn't going to be able to make a difference because the police, my goal and dream, were in fact the very thing allowing the city to be such a shithole. Those who were actually convicted of a crime were just street thugs. Any criminal with a bit of authority or money could walk away scot free"

Judy and Fru Fru glanced at each other as they let Lunette get everything out, they could tell that she'd been bottling this up for a long time.

"When I found out, by personally seeing a big time crook shaking paws with one of my superiors before they just walked out of the station, I was crushed. I didn't know what to do anymore. And that's probably how my life would have continued, a broken cop just going through the actions without any life or faith" Lunette paused and frowned "until I met the Shade"

Judy's ears picked up at this, she'd pieced together bits in her mind from Lunette's reaction earlier with Mr. Big, now it seemed Lunette was willing to talk about it.

"They are an information broker, pretty big apparently, and I encountered them completely by accident. I was on a drug bust, our team made a textbook raid and as I explored the upstairs I found him. Thinking of course that he was just another perp to cuff I took him in. I first noticed something was wrong when he never appeared with the others we'd arrested when we reached the station"

Lunette's ears twitched "I figured he was rich enough to pay off the cops and felt a little bit worse inside. Life carried on till a week or so later, while dealing with a hostage situation the Shade got caught and arrested again by myself. And once again he never made it to the station. By this point I started to do some research into who exactly they were. Once I found out they were the Shade things started to make sense. He never did anything bad himself, and apparently he did quite a bit of good too, but his information still caused a lot of terrible things to happen in Los Antleres" Lunette chuckled ruefully "the third time we met was during a gang war, massive shoot out going on, luckily innocent mammals had long since evacuated the area. The bastard saved my life and I cuffed him for it. There was almost a bit of rivalry going on between us as well as a grudging respect. Nobody had ever caught him before and now I'd done it three times in a row. Not that anything came of it, he escaped again, and if anything, I got the short end of the stick. There were higher ups in the police department who either used the Shade or had rich friends who did. So suddenly I found myself under the hammer for causing a problem in their source of information, after all if I keep arresting the Shade enough something might stick"

Lunette sighed and stretched out on the chaise longue more before continuing, she seemed to be rounding the story to an end.

"I think that was the second to last thing before I'd had enough of Los Antleres. I was pushed into dead end assignments and useless partners. I couldn't get anything accomplished anymore. I just didn't know what to do. And that was when I overheard the police chief on the phone to someone. He said the Shade had left the city for Zootopia among various other things that I really shouldn't have heard. It got me thinking, Zootopia was a shining paradise compared to Los Antleres, and I couldn't just let the Shade go, regardless of what he does bad events just seem to follow him. It didn't take me long to take this as a sign for me to get out of the city"

Lunette grinned slightly as she remembered something "I gave my application for transfer to my supervisor but that was shot down, my career was under heavy pressure and a transfer was probably considered too good for me. So I went straight to the police chief and used all the dirt I'd overheard on that phone call. My transfer then went through without a hitch. And I guess that brings us up to the present"

Fru Fru had jumped down from her own chaise longue and scurried across the floor towards Lunette. She climbed up the side of the seat and then up the side of the wolf before Fru Fru plastered herself onto Lunette's cheek in a hug.

"I'm so glad you got out of there" said Fru Fru rather muffled before she hopped onto Lunette's offered paw "I've heard nothing but bad things about that city from Daddy. If you need anything, and I mean  _anything_ , now that you are here in Zootopia, you give me a call you hear me"

"T, Thank you mis-Fru Fru" Lunette hurriedly used the shrew's actual name at the glare she got from the tiny mammal.

"Don't you worry, Lunette" said Judy happily "you won't believe how different things are here in Zootopia. Chief Bogo would have the heads of any officers that tried something like how Los Antleres runs things"

The conversation reverted to what Judy and Fru Fru had been discussing before, except that this time Lunette had come out of her shell and joined in. Personal stories often bring people together and Fru Fru quickly took to the white wolf.

 _I don't think I've ever had friends to just sit and talk with_  Lunette thought to herself basking in the atmosphere  _sure there were colleagues and some acquaintances, but nothing like this. I already feel closer to Judy and Fru than I did with anyone back in Los Antleres_.

Judy and Lunette spent a good few hours talking with Fru Fru. In fact, the little shrew insisted they stay for lunch. Unfortunately, they still needed to get a report back to Chief Bogo so the rabbit and wolf had to leave eventually. But not before Fru Fru had made them both promise to have a girl's night sometime soon. Lunette's tail was wagging happily as they made their way back to the entrance, a far cry from how she'd been when they'd first arrived. Wesley the badger butler was waiting by the door with their winter jackets. Putting them on the girls felt like they were sliding into a warm pool, their jackets had been washed, dried and suitably heated before being returned.

After vigorously thanking Wesley the two of them stepped outside ready to brave the temperatures of Tundratown. It was still snowing, it never really stopped, but it was certainly lighter than the morning. It was quiet in the car during the ride back to precinct 1, Judy was mainly letting Lunette take in the sights of Zootopia as they drove.

 _I wonder what she'll be like if we have to go to the Rainforest District_  thought Judy with a small giggle  _I hope Nick's around when we do, he'd have a field day with her_.

This thought just served to remind Judy about her missing partner as her ears drooped.

 _As soon as I clock off I'm going around to Nick's and finding out just what happened this morning_  thought Judy setting her determination. She was worried, ignoring any confusing thoughts brought on by Clawhauser, and Judy wanted to make sure Nick was okay.

Thankfully, as they pulled back into the precinct car park to put away the cruiser, there wasn't much paperwork to fill out in this situation. Judy left the car keys with Clawhauser before showing Lunette to the office space. They would definitely need another chair if Lunette was going to be sharing with them but for now she just about managed to share the pachyderm suitable chair with Judy. Not that Lunette had much to do, Judy was very efficient when it came to paperwork and she'd whipped up a report on their days findings before the wolf had finished looking around the office.

"Come on" said Judy jumping down from the chair "Bogo is going to want to talk to us about the investigation"

"He scares me" whispered Lunette as they walked down the corridors towards the Chief's office "I've never had a boss who, you know, cared about his job"

"Don't worry about it" said Judy playfully hitting Lunette's arm "the Chief may seem tough but he can be a real softy sometimes" Judy carried on seriously "You belong here Lunette, Zootopia needs cops like you, Los Antleres never deserved you. Just remember, the fact the Chief let you transfer here says it all"

A bit more perk appeared in the wolf's ears as she walked along after the little grey doe. She felt rather better but that didn't stop her tail from freezing when they were finally outside the Chief's office. A grunt of acknowledgement could be heard from within when Judy knocked on the door. Inside Chief Bogo looked up from the pile of reports in front of him and removed the reading glasses from his face. As much as he disliked the things, Chief Bogo was a mammal who would use every means possible to complete his job, even tiny little glasses. He frowned slightly as the bunny and wolf entered and sat down, his already stony face somehow appearing even more serious.

"Part of me doesn't want to hear what you found out" said the cape buffalo leaning back in his chair "alright Hopps, what's going on in the city?"

"Mr. Big agreed to see us" began Judy flicking through her report again to make sure she hadn't missed anything "The rumours about an underworld character coming to Zootopia are true. However, things aren't as bad as we thought, they are an information broker known as the Shade. Mr Big told me to tell you that they were a grey character"

The buffalo's face relaxed slightly at this "And you're sure this is true?" he asked, though he didn't think Mr. Big would actually lie to Judy.

"It's definitely true" Bogo was surprised when it was Lunette that spoke up "The Shade originated from Los Antleres, I've arrested them a few times for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, following them was one of the reasons for my transfer here"

"Interesting" said Bogo steepling his hooves "so you have some prior experience with them? Should we be worried?"

"As Officer Hopps said, they are not really a criminal, they just trade in secrets, which  _can_ be dangerous" Lunette took a deep breath "but… as much as I don't want to say it… if they act like they did in Los Antleres then there shouldn't be any problems with them sir"

Judy hated to be the bearer of bad news after seeing the weight they had just lifted from Chief Bogo's mind but she had to continue.

"There is something else sir" said Judy wincing as she saw the buffalo's face fall "Mr. Big has heard rumours, even he can't confirm it yet, that a Perseus Albicauda has a presence in Zootopia. Mr. Big warned us that this would be very bad if it turned out to be true"

"Nothing can be simple can it" said Bogo to himself "excellent work you two" the Chief accepted the report from Judy "Officer Furle, how did you cope with this assignment?"

"To be honest sir, I was terrified" said Lunette shifting on her seat "Mr. Big isn't the biggest crime boss in Zootopia without reason, reason I've now seen first-hand. I'm very thankful Judy-Officer Hopps was present" she scratched her head sheepishly "though I understand I'd never have been in the situation if not for her either"

"Good" snorted Bogo "let that be a lesson, Zootopia isn't Los Antleres but it certainly isn't perfect. Your dismissed, I apologise that your first day was rather… unorthodox. Go and get some rest, Hopps I'd like a word before you leave"

The two girls murmured goodbyes before Lunette left the office and went to clock off for the day. Judy returned her focus onto her superior, wondering what he wanted now.

"Officer Furle" said Chief Bogo while reading through Judy's report "How was she to work with?"

Judy felt slightly indignant at the question, it seemed her boss just wanted to grill her about her new colleague. After having gotten to know the wolf Judy felt rather prickly about Chief Bogo's action.

"Officer Furle was a pleasure to work with in the field sir. She embodies all the qualities that the ZPD stands for"

Chief Bogo could feel the displeasure in his subordinate's tone and actually smiled slightly which shocked Judy.

"I am well aware of that Hopps, I would not have authorised her transfer otherwise, I simply wanted to see if any of Los Antleres' prejudices or opinions had rubbed off on her. From your reaction, I would seem to be worrying over nothing, I'm glad you are working well together as you will be for the foreseeable future" Chief Bogo put down Judy's report and picked up the paperwork he was reading before "one last thing, has there been any news about Officer Wilde" just the sight of Judy's ears flopping sadly was enough "I see, please make him aware that I'll be seeing him in my office first thing tomorrow"

Judy nodded slightly and left the office. There wasn't anything else left for her to do in the department so she was going to head straight for Nick's and hope he was there. As she walked into the main entrance though she paused with a thought. She turned and with a sigh headed for the dispatcher's desk. For once Ben was not glued to some sort of app and waved happily as he spotted Judy approaching.

"How was your day Judy?" asked the inquisitive cheetah.

"It was good Benjy" said Judy smiling "listen, before I go I just wanted to say something. Next time you see Lunette can you please not dig into her romantic life. It seems to be rather complicated and I don't think she's ready to talk about it"

"Aww" cried Clawhauser as he started to tear up slightly "the poor girl, don't you worry Judy my lips are sealed till she talks. So, are you going to go find your fox now?"

"I-he-wha… H-he's not  _my_  fox Benjy" said Judy blushing slightly, already regretting coming to talk to the chubby cat "but yes, I haven't heard anything from him all day so I'm rather worried"

"Go get him Tiger" shouted Ben as Judy hurriedly left the precinct, there was a small cough next to him "Oops, sorry Fangmeyer" he whispered to the tigress he hadn't noticed who just rolled her eyes.

* * *

 

Judy pulled up next to Nick's apartment block, thankfully there was free parking outside and she managed to find a spot. She was worried. She'd sent him some text messages before leaving the precinct car park but she hadn't received any replies. So all Judy could do was hope that he was home.

Making her way inside she nodded to the security guard, a ram called Donald, Judy had visited enough times that he recognised her and waved a hoof back. Nick told her that he was a good guy but after everything with the Night-howler case Judy had been slightly apprehensive getting to know sheep and rams again. Still, the small amount of contact she had, and the fact that he  _was_  actually quite nice, meant Judy got on reasonably with him.

"Have you seen Nick today, Donald?" asked Judy, her worry about her partner overpowering her usual nervousness.

Donald was slightly surprised, he knew all about the Night-howler case and, personally, disagreed with Bellwether's ideas completely. So he could understand why Judy was always a little distant when dealing with him. He was rather happy that she was talking to him so normally.

"Yeah" said the ram putting down the paper he was reading "he left normal time this morning, but I expect you know that since he said you give him a lift to work" the ram held up a hoof as Judy started getting a bit aggravated "and yes, I saw him get back a bit earlier, was dropped off by someone I didn't catch"

Before he'd even finished speaking Judy had torn across the entrance hall towards the stairwell, Donald sniggered figuring that Nick must have done something bad to get Judy that worked up.

Judy was taking the steps three at a time as she practically bounded up the stairs. She'd probably broken some kind of record at the speed with which she was ascending. Pausing to catch her breath slightly on Nick's floor, she stepped forwards towards Nick's flat.

Judy stepped up to knock on the door only to feel her heart lurch when she saw that the door was ajar.

 _Nick never forgets to lock any doors behind him_  thought Judy as she slowly pushed said door open and stepped into his apartment.

It was empty as far as she could see, she closed the door properly behind herself and slowly walked into the flat.

"Nick?" she called out "it's me, Judy, are you there? Is everything okay?"

Judy shivered slightly, the apartment didn't feel like it normally did, usually it was a warm and happy place for her. But now it felt like the walls were pressing in on her. Her tail twitched, it felt like there were eyes on her, something following her. She shuddered as her thoughts drifted back to the times she'd had to deal with savage animals, due to Night-howlers.

Her heart was beating fast as she stepped past the kitchen when the feeling got worse, it was like she was sat in the gaze of a predator and she froze up. Something touched her shoulders and her mind went blank. Her rabbit instincts were just about to take over and make her flee the scene when a  _different_  set of instincts kicked them out of the way and took control. Instincts she'd had drilled into her in police training.

Judy grabbed whatever had touched her, leant her shoulder forwards feeling a weight drop onto her, and then jumped with her extremely powerful legs. Something russet coloured went flying through the air going "Weeeeeeeee" before it bounced off the back of the sofa with an 'Oof' and disappeared from Judy's sight.

Still frozen in place Judy's brain came to terms with what just happened and her paws flew to her mouth. Hurriedly she leapt straight over the back of the sofa and landed on the cushions. In front of her on the floor, in a rather bedraggled pile, was Nick.

"Nick!" she almost shrieked "are you okay? Oh god, I'm so sorry!"

Nick twitched at her voice and disentangled himself enough to flop his chin up onto the sofa next to Judy.

"Heey" slurred Nick "it's my most favourite-ist Bunny in the world. What are you doing here?"

Judy could feel her heart going like a train, there had been too much stress today "Are you drunk?!" she asked incredulously,  _after all that worrying_ she thought getting a bit angry.

"Am I drunk?" Nick seemed to ask himself as he struggled up onto the sofa and collapsed next to Judy "Yes, yes I am… Extreme-ably"

"Nick" said Judy holding her head and trying to work out what she was thinking and feeling at the moment "what has been going on today? Do you know how worried I've been?"

Suddenly Judy felt arms around her as Nick managed to lean across and pull her into his side with a small 'meep'. Judy froze up yet again feeling the warmth Nick was giving off as she tried to keep up with the situation.

"I'm just so happy Hopps" Nick giggled "Happy Hopps" he started to stroke the top of Judy's head sending sparks down her back "I found my brother again and then we started drinking. And everything was fine until we started drinking moonlight and then we got very, ver, veery drunk"

Judy was trying to ignore the feelings Nick's digits were invoking in her while also piece together what had happened today from his drunken ramblings. It wasn't working too well.

"I haven't seen him in tens of tens of tens of…" Nick trailed off sadly "Ten years, that was it, and then all of a suddenly I saw him across the street this morning. I-I really missed him"

Judy felt something pattering on the top of her head and looked up to see tears running down her partner's muzzle. It felt like something was grabbing her heart as she looked at the sadness on his face. Before she could say anything though the hand stroking her head stopped and then she felt a claw running from the base of her ear all the way to the tip. If the stroking from before had made sparks then this sent lightning running down Judy as she melted into a small grey puddle next to Nick.

"You have very pretty ears, Carrots" said Nick, his sudden sadness forgotten as fast as it appeared "have I ever told you that before"

It was all Judy could do to shake her head as Nick kept on running his paws along her ears. There was quiet in the room for a while. Gradually though the situation overcame the warm, fluffy feeling Judy was currently floating in. Her ears, still in Nick's paws, flushed scarlet.

Her partner was stroking her EARS!

_Handsome partner…_

_Shut UP, I'm going to **literally**  murder Clawhauser tomorrow!_

Far on the other side of the city a rather portly cheetah dropped the slice of pizza he was about to eat as a small blizzard ran up his spine.

Judy leapt off the sofa and straight out of Nick's arm, stumbling a little on the carpet. Nick didn't actually notice she was gone for a moment before she grabbed his arm.

"Izza nother Carrots" said Nick happily looking over "now there's two best bunnies in the whole world" he looked down at his side to see Judy gone "Oh, you're almost as good as my brother at doing that"

Judy tugged the fox off the sofa and to his feet "Come on Nick, you need to go to bed, we'll sort all this out in the morning"

The fox was mumbling slightly under his breath but he let the grey doe lead him towards his bedroom. Judy turned her back on him for one moment to sort the door out and Nick managed to collapse diagonally onto the bed face first. The rabbit sighed before walking over and, with a bit of a struggle, rolled the fox over onto his back.

"What am I gonna do with you" Judy whispered shaking her head "Come on, you can't sleep in your uniform"

Nick was remarkably cooperative, even if he didn't seem to have any bones at the moment with how he slipped all over the place. Judy managed to remove his tie and shirt and hung them up over the chair next to the bedside table.

When she turned back towards the bed a surge of red filled her vision and she found herself pulled off her feet. Nick rolled over into the middle of the bed, holding Judy close and bringing her with him. The grey doe gasped as she was pressed into Nicks chest, her sense of smell overpowered by fox. A little voice in her head whispered that she should really be used to this sort of surprise by now.

"Nick" protested Judy meekly "Come on, let me go, I've got to get hom-Mmmhh!?"

She froze.

Quite literally, every single brain and motor function seemed to have halted.

Nick had leant down and kissed her. It was soft as silk, gentle enough she could have missed it, but to the little rabbit it was like being hit by a speeding train. Amethyst eyes met emerald for a brief moment before Nick pulled her close to his chest again.

"I'm probabably not going to remember much of it" slurred Nick, his voice getting quieter and sleepier "but today was… a very good… day"

Judy felt Nick's incredibly soft tail curl up around her, the sense of warmth and comfort nearly driving her insane. She knew she needed to leave, to sort everything out, including her feelings, but there was something about the warmth, the softness, the scent of fox, that she just couldn't bring herself to leave. She had a sad look on her face as she thought about Nick's last words. She ran a paw through his fur and pulled herself closer into his shoulder.

 _I'll deal with… this… in the morning_  she thought as she drifted off into the warmth of sleep.

 


	6. Chapter 6

It was dark and a cool, moist breeze gently ruffled the leaves. Orchid Drive was a part of the Canal District and water was never far away. A shadow hurried along the walkways, it would stick to the darkness as much as it could but it gave off a sense of desperation the few times it was visible. A low roar filled the night causing the figure to pause in fright. Hearing it again the shadow gingerly approached the edge of the walkway, into the light for once, and glanced over the edge.

The otter with pierced ears clutched the package closer to her chest but all she could see was black water rising and falling gently. Looking to her right she saw the cause, a tunnel for the flow of water, as the water was rising and falling it was pushing air through the tunnel causing the roaring.

Thankful, and not wanting to stay in the light for long, the otter ran back into the dark. She'd done this sort of thing many times before but tonight something felt wrong. About half way through her journey the dark Canal District, which she knew like the back of her paw, suddenly changed. She felt like a stranger in her own city. Worse than that, though it was a feeling she had never felt before as a predator, she was sure she was being followed… stalked.

What made it worse was that no matter how she looked at it the feeling was irrational. She checked her back every few moments, taking hidden shortcuts known only to a few mammals, and she never saw hide nor hair of another animal that night. But that horrible feeling of being watched never went away.

Thankfully the otter saw a familiar building as she ran and knew she was almost at her destination. Turning off the main walkways she disappeared into twisting alleys. After a few minutes walking down the shadowy labyrinth, not including the back tracking and detours she took, she arrived at a door hidden in one of the walls. She knocked as gently as she could to try and draw less attention to herself.

A slot in the door slid open and a pair of shining eyes looked out. Seeing the otter, the sounds of door latches and locks being undone could be heard.

"Wait" hissed the otter "the cameras are up, right? Go see if I've been followed first"

The eyes were a bit questioning but the slot closed and the otter stood there in the dark shivering for a minute or so. The slot in the door opening again made her jump as the eyes appeared once more.

"You're clear" came a hoarse voice as the sound of locks opening began again.

Relief rushed through the otter as she slipped inside the second the door was open enough. A cougar, the owner of the eyes behind the door, shut said door and swiftly locked it back up again before turning to the otter.

"What's gotten into you Cherry" rasped the cat "did something happen?"

"N-no, Fizz" stammered the otter called Cherry "nothing happened but about half way here I felt like I was being watched, followed,  _hunted_. Never thought I'd see how a bloody prey feels" the otter shuddered "you're sure there was nothing on the cameras?"

"Yeah, I checked the tapes back too, nothing"

The otter felt a wave of relief run through her as she followed the cougar around a corner into the main room. Tossing the package onto the small table, Cherry grabbed a packet of cigarettes and collapsed onto the ragged sofa next to it. The cougar sat at the table and neatly opened the package with his claws. Inside was stack after stack of money which the cat began to count through occasionally licking a finger. Cherry lit the cigarette and took a long puff, the nicotine sent a wave of calm running through the otter.

"You know you aren't supposed to smoke in here" said Fizz not looking up from the money.

"Fuck you" scowled Cherry "you didn't have to go through what I did tonight"

"Well it was worth it" said Fizz finishing up "this month's profits are good; the new boss will be pleased with us"

"You can deal with that Fizz" groaned Cherry "you know I hate dealing with him, rubs my fur all the wrong way"

"Yeah, yeah, like that's anything new" snickered the cougar.

Back around the corner, by the locked-up door, a pair of red eyes opened in the darkness of the hallway. And the Shade listened.

* * *

 

It was warm, a nose twitched, a short tail flicked. Judy didn't need an alarm, her body's biological clock got her up bright and early each morning, something much to Nick's dismay. Stirring, Judy stretched out on the bed, slowly drifting back into consciousness. The warmth she was after was gradually disappearing leaving her with just an empty feeling.

Judy's eyes flickered as purple orbs took in the dim bedroom. It was empty, the only sign of Nick being his scent and the heat that was starting to cool. His shirt and tie were gone from the chair where Judy had left them so she assumed he was awake somewhere. Rabbits were always full of energy and enthusiasm and Judy scooted her way off the bed ready to face the day.

She stretched a few times, twisting her hips and touching her toes. As she leant back as far as she could a thought popped into her head unbidden.

_This is Nick's room…_

Judy slowly stood back up straight as everything that happened last night rushed back to her. It was just as much a shock to her now as it was when everything had happened. Judy sat back on the edge of the bed, her face red enough to detect under her fur. Wrapping her arms round herself, Judy tried to think of some kind of solution but her brain seemed to be filled with cotton-wool… russet coloured cotton-wool.

 _Argh, why did I think I'd be better equipped to deal with this now!_  She wanted to roll back onto the bed and hide away from the world.

Unfortunately, no matter what she thought Judy couldn't come up with any fantastic master plan and slowly got to her feet.

 _Guess I'll just have to improvise_  she thought smiling weakly  _come on Judy, you're good at that._

Judy moved to the door and slowly pushed it open. There were lights on in the rest of the apartment which was a good sign. Taking a glance round, Nick wasn't in the living room, Judy cocked her ears, and there were no sounds from the bathroom next door. Cautiously Judy walked towards the kitchen.

There was a table in the middle of the kitchen and currently there were three things upon it. One was a glass jug of coffee, now only about a third full though. The second was a mug which was also filled with the caffeine based elixir. The third was a fox. Nick was dressed in his uniform and was slouched over one of his arms as he occasionally drank from his mug.

"Nick" called out Judy softly as she walked into the kitchen "are you okay?"

Nick twitched at Judy's voice and sat up, he looked like death warmed up and hurriedly took another swig of coffee.

"Am I alright? No, no I am not" came the rather croaky reply "Not that I remember doing much of it but I think I drank far, far, far too much yesterday. This morning didn't help, I wake up with the biggest hangover of my life, topless next to my partner" Nick shuddered turning his eyes on Judy "I-did I- did I do anything that I need to apologise for Judy?"

Judy stared into his emerald eyes, she could feel the pleading from him, his hope that he hadn't done anything to her and their friendship.

"No!" shouted Judy more forcefully than she intended, Nick winced at the noise and Judy felt her heart twinge. Before she realised it, she had run across the kitchen and wrapped her arms round him burying her head into his chest.

"We both know you'd never do anything to hurt me Nick" the fox who had stiffened up at the contact relaxed at the words. The uncertainty that had been eating away at Nick since this morning had been agony.

"Okay, okay" said Nick smiling slightly as he tried to prise the bunny off him "I'm feeling rather fragile this morning"

"Even after all this" asked Judy gesturing at the coffee as she hopped up on a chair next to him "you really were rough this morning huh?"

"Judy-I…" Nick slowly rubbed his eyes "I'm sorry"

"What for?" asked Judy slightly confused, his actions had been very unexpected all day yesterday but she didn't think there was anything that warranted an apology.

"I could very well have damaged our partnership" said the fox sadly "you know Bogo doesn't play favourites"

"He said he wants to talk to you first thing" said Judy quietly "he was actually quite understanding so just tell him what happened okay? What- what did happen yesterday?"

Nick sighed and drank some more coffee, he finished the mug and went to refill it again but Judy got there first and did it for him.

"Thanks" murmured Nick trying to get his thoughts in order "Yesterday morning I thought I saw someone who I hadn't seen in ten years, someone who I thought was dead"

"Your brother?" asked Judy gently.

"How? Ah, I must have been rambling last night" Nick shook his head ruefully "yes, my brother, but before you ask he's not my biological brother, not a fox. We met soon after I started hustling, I was fifteen and he was a year older" Nick smirked a little at Judy's face "yeah, I fell in with the wrong crowds pretty early. We were inseparable, us two against the world, along with Finnick too. He was the person I trusted the most, before I met you of course, and life was good for about seven years. I wasn't hustling either during this time, we worked together, never did anything we could be arrested for"

Judy watched Nick's face light up as he talked about his past, she could feel herself relax as he cheered himself up.

"That was until about ten years ago, there was an… incident, after which my brother disappeared. I never saw him again and given the circumstances I thought he was dead. Yada, yada, ten years of hustling, one small, grey ball of fluff, and eight months later here we are"

Judy frowned slightly at being called that but let him get away with it for once.

"I had to check if it was him" said Nick slowly "and it was. And then we got horrifically drunk. And then next thing I know I wake up next to you, Carrots. Um- what did happen last night?"

Judy was caught off guard at the question and her mouth opened and closed a few times before she found her voice. Nick felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over him  _So I did do something_  he thought sadly.

"Not much happened actually" said Judy with a small sigh as she calmed down "I may have shoulder thrown you over the back of the sofa when you jumped out at me"

"Well that explains why I feel like I was put through a tumble-dryer" smirked Nick.

"Sorry about that" winced Judy "after that I figured out just how drunk you were and managed to get you to the bedroom. I got your shirt and tie off but that was about it before you grabbed me and fell asleep" Judy could feel her face slowly turning red as she spoke.

Nick, normally adept at picking up social cues, was obviously not running at full speed this morning as he drank more coffee, and didn't notice. There was silence in the kitchen for a while as the fox nursed his headache. Eventually though they needed to start moving or they would be late for work, and Nick really didn't want that on top of the trouble he had already caused. Judy found a thermos in a cupboard and poured the rest of the coffee into it earning profound gratitude from her partner.

Nick slowly staggered along after the grey doe feeling very thankful that she was around.

 _Don't know what I'd do without her_  he thought to himself  _well, I'd still be out hustling for a start._

Donald was still sat reading his paper in his little security cubicle by the door when the two of them reached the entrance. He took one look at the perky rabbit and the zombie like fox and sniggered.

"Jesus, Wilde" he said "what did that bunny do to you?"

"She didn't-"

"I didn't-"

Nick and Judy glanced at each other embarrassedly before Nick turned back to the ram.

"Nothing to do with her Donald" winced the fox as he headed for the door "I brought this on myself"

* * *

 

The trip into the precinct was a quiet one today, normally if they weren't talking Judy would have some music on. But given the state of her partner next to her she decided against anything loud this morning, something Nick was extremely grateful for. Despite how unusual the morning had been they had still managed to make good time in getting in to work. Everything was going nice and calmly… until they actually walked into the building.

Judy saw Lunette stood at the desk chatting with Clawhauser and perked up, she could introduce her to Nick. Judy reached down and grabbed Nick's paw pulling him stumbling and staggering after her. However, they were spotted before they could actually reach the wolf.

"Oh. Em. Goodness!" squealed Clawhauser at the sight of the two of them "I know I told you to go get him Judy… but what did you do to him?"

Judy looked down at her paw holding Nick's as her ears flushed red. She folded them down over her face "Why does everyone keep asking me things like that?"

Suddenly Judy remembered the evening before and what she thought about Clawhauser right now. Her ears rose back up revealing amethyst eyes full of fire and lightning. The portly cheetah felt a familiar sensation like a small blizzard running up his spine as he met the bunny's gaze.

"Benjy" said Judy in a sickly-sweet voice that made the cheetah's fur crawl "we are going to have a nice long chat later"

Nick on the other hand had resorted to taking another big swig of coffee, he didn't even have the necessary energy for a witty comeback to the big cat. This also meant he missed the terrifying inflection in Judy's voice, which was good or he wouldn't be able to look at his partner in the same way again.

Lunette felt a bit of a shiver and was very, very happy that she had gotten to know Judy so quickly. She didn't want to consider what may have happened if she'd taken up Chief Bogo's suggestion and gone a few rounds in the ring with her.

"Good morning Judy" the wolf said hoping to remove some of the pressure from Clawhauser "and this is?"

Judy perked right up at this "Lunette, this is my partner Nick Wilde" Judy was practically bouncing, her rage at Benjamin seemingly forgotten "Nick, this is Lunette, she transferred here yesterday and will be working with us in the future"

Nick blurrily looked the wolf up and down while glancing between her and Judy. He didn't pick up anything bad about her and she seemed to be getting on well with Judy so that was enough for him.

"Nick Wilde" he said holding out the paw not holding his coffee like a lifeline "though I'll say hello again properly once I don't feel like death"

Lunette gingerly shook his paw, the fox looked like he was going to fall apart at the seams. Following that Nick started wandering towards the stairs to head for the Chief's office. Judy knew where he was going and clenched her fists lightly.

 _It'll be fine_  thought Judy  _there was a real family matter, Bogo will understand, right?_

Lunette and Ben were watching Judy as she gazed after the fox. Suddenly sensing their attention on her, especially the twinkle in Clawhauser's eyes, made her rather embarrassed. Judy grabbed Lunette's paw mumbling that they should head for the bull pen. Ben waved them off happily until Judy glanced back at him over her shoulder and he saw that the fire in her eyes was still burning brightly.

* * *

 

Nick stumbled to the top of the stairs and had to pause to catch his breath. He thought a little light exercise, such as climbing a flight of stairs, might have helped. It didn't.

 _I'm never choosing something other than the elevator ever again_  thought Nick miserably.

Luckily Chief Bogo's office was fairly close to the stairwell Nick used so he didn't have far to walk. Pausing by the door to the office, Nick leant heavily against the wall for a moment as he tried to collect himself. He took another swig of the glorious nectar that seemed to be the only thing keeping him going.

 _Come on Slick_  he thought  _it's not the first time you've had to put a mask on over a horrific hangover._

Nick grimaced slightly and then stood up straight. His body language was calm and relaxed like usual, no sign of pain or exhaustion. On his face was his classic smirk and his eyes had a spark of life in them that hadn't been present all morning. He knocked on the door in rhythm a few times and waited for a moment before stepping inside.

Chief Bogo set down the paperwork he was holding the moment he saw the fox enter. He waited for Nick to sit down before leaning forwards, his face all but unreadable even for a seasoned con artist like Nick.

"Explain, Wilde"

"Well sir" Nick took a deep breath, he  _had_  thought up several ideas that would probably get him out of trouble. But remembering the look of pride in Judy's eyes when she had presented him his badge had squashed any thoughts on the matter "yesterday morning I encountered a mammal very close to my heart. Close enough to be considered family and one who I thought had been… dead, for around ten years"

Chief Bogo made no sign of acknowledgement and waited for Nick to continue.

"My emotions got the better of me sir, I abandoned my partner and my post for a personal matter. I'm willing to have the day removed from my holidays and take up parking duty for the rest of the week in order to make up for it sir. Providing that my punishment doesn't effect Ju-Officer Hopps"

Chief Bogo had been expecting many things, he had half expected the fox to spin some cockamamy tale that he would end up believing. He was not however expecting this level of professionalism. The fox may have had his standard smirk on his muzzle when he first entered but by the time he sat down he was calm and stoic. There had been no sarcastic comments or terrible jokes as was normally impossible to escape with the fox. And he had readily admitted his mistakes and volunteered for punishment.

"This was important to you Wilde?" asked Bogo his face not revealing his thoughts.

"More than you know sir" said Nick simply.

"Very well" said Chief Bogo after a long few moments contemplating "Given a family emergency, which this appears to be, there is precedent for reduced punishment for 'rash actions' shall we say. We'll go as you say, parking duty for the rest of the week, the day of holiday however, while I appreciate the offer, is not how we do things. Now get down to briefing"

Nick saluted sharply and hopped down from his chair. The chief called out as he reached the door causing Nick to look back.

"Did everything work out, Wilde?"

A genuine smile appeared on Nick's face actually registering a look of surprise from the chief.

"Yes, yes it really did" said Nick as he walked out the door.

Chief Bogo watched him go open mouthed for a few moments before he snorted and shook his head, he began to gather together everything he needed to hand out the assignments for today.

Nick stood still out in the corridor. He was waiting for the adrenaline and caffeine to run out and for himself to feel like he was about to collapse again. However, it seemed that getting the meeting with the chief out of the way had been good for him. Nick still felt rather rough and was glad he still had some more coffee but didn't feel anywhere near as bad as he had when he'd first arrived.

The fox sighed at the thought of having to do parking duty for the rest of the week. But this was something he had brought on himself, and he figured since he was a cop now he should probably start taking a bit more responsibility for his actions. Actually, he did feel a bit better inside thinking about that. There was a bit more spring in his step as he made his way downstairs to the bull pen.

Stepping inside he saw that Lunette was sat next to Judy where he normally was. He smiled, the two of them seemed to be getting on like a house on fire, he always felt that Judy could use more friends. Nick knew Bogo was going to appear any minute so just settled himself into an empty chair at the back of the room. A few other officers noticed him arrive and Delgato, who was sat next to him was about to start a conversation, when Chief Bogo burst into the room and no one had any time to pay attention to Nick anymore. Chief Bogo reached the podium at the front of the room and cleared his throat while glancing at the topmost piece of paper he had with him.

"From information gathered by Hopps and Furle yesterday we know that things are shuffling around in the underbelly of Zootopia. Pay attention to anything strange while you work, I'd rather have a room full of useless information than miss a vital clue" Chief Bogo looked down at the papers he was holding "Fangmeyer, Mchorn, Robbery on Prairie Road, get investigating. Wolford, Jackson, Grizzoli, continue your assignment in Tundratown till further notice. Everyone else, patrols, you know your districts. And Wilde, parking duty" Chief Bogo held up a hoof before Judy could even move out of her seat to complain "No Hopps, no objections, this was something decided between myself and Wilde. Now dismissed!"

Nick watched his partner's face fall from the back of the room and felt needles in his chest. He knew she wouldn't take it too well but he just couldn't prepare himself for the look of sadness on Judy's face. Nick was torn because he knew that if the day was repeated he'd still run off chasing after Noct. It felt like having to choose between his best friend, the bunny who'd changed his life, and his brother who he'd known for years.

Nick shook his head, he knew that was stupid, there was no need to choose, he was just feeling rather stressed out this morning.

 _I'll make it up to Judy_  he thought to himself as the officers filed out of the room around him  _we were going to have a movie night again soon, I'll get her something nice_.

Judy and Lunette were the last to leave and Nick followed them out. As soon as he'd shut the door and turned around Nick felt a small grey head butt him in the chest gently.

"You planned this" said Judy rather dully "I understand how important yesterday was to you, so should the chief, why parking duty?"

"Carrots" sighed Nick as he patted the top of her head "it's my fault, I messed up, so I asked for this"

"How long is this for?" asked Judy as she stepped back and looked up at him hopefully.

"Rest of the week" said Nick wincing as the rabbit's face fell dramatically, he knelt down closer to Judy's eye level "tomorrow we were going to watch a movie at mine, we still on for that?"

"Of course," frowned Judy, indignant that he would even consider cancelling Wednesday movie night.

"You know" said Nick as his trademark smirk fell onto his face once again as he stood up "I think I got into Bogo's good books a bit with how I handled it to be honest" Nick waved as he headed off to Mrs. Ivory to collect the parking duty equipment "have fun out there you two"

Judy watched him go with a complicated look on her face. In its simplest terms, she was happy he'd perked up and hadn't been punished too badly. She noticed Lunette looking at her oddly and hurriedly shook her head to clear her mind. Starting up a conversation they headed for Clawhauser to pick up their keys.

 


	7. Chapter 7

In the centre of Zootopia is Downtown and a veritable forest of skyscrapers. Currently it was mid-morning and bright sunlight was shining down on the city. One of the skyscrapers, Chrysalis Tower, was a set of hotels, flats and offices. At the very top of the building was a penthouse suite. It belonged to a Mr. Clement and had done since the tower had been constructed six years ago. It was an odd situation as the other residents of the tower had never seen the person who lived there.

Due to the construction of the bedroom and the orientation of the tower, the sunlight had only just reached the bed despite it being nearly 11 o'clock. As the sunbeams slowly creeped across the bed they warmed the fur of its sole occupant. Before the sunlight could reach their head however the mammal reached over and hit a switch on the wall near the head of the bed. The bedroom windows darkened and cut out nearly all the morning brightness.

Noctis Lacerda growled slightly as he stretched, and as a panther he did a pretty mean stretch. There was a dull aching in his head but a grin graced his lips.

_I expect Nick is feeling it a lot worse than me_

Noct sniggered lightly to himself as he hauled himself off the bed. He padded to the bathroom in nothing but the fur he was born in. Inside was a shower, bath and a jacuzzi along with a full wall mirror. Noct considered it for a moment before deciding against washing, he still had some things to take care of today. Instead he poured himself a glass of water while he opened one of the cabinets hanging over the sink.

Noct fumbled around in the cupboard for a moment before removing a single black tablet and dropping it into his glass of water. As he carried the glass back into the main room of the penthouse, the tablet dissolved rapidly and quickly turned the water the same shade as ink.

The bedroom and bathroom were on the upper layer of the penthouse and a sweeping staircase led down to the living quarters which actually took up the floor below. Actually, the penthouse took up three floors but the rooms on the bottom-most floor were more… specialised. Noct walked up to the window, the living room had one large bay window covering three quarters of that floor of the skyscraper.

Leaning on a railing he looked out over Zootopia, from the positioning of the Chrysalis Tower and the wide window you could see all of Zootopia apart from the Rainforest District. This was in the design of the building since the Rainforest District was normally covered in cloud and fog anyway. Noct turned his head to his right and looked out over the urban jungle of Savanna Central. His gaze then slowly moved left across the distant sands of Sahara Square. Eventually he looked out onto the swirling blizzards that hid Tundratown from view.

Noct glanced down and realised he hadn't had his drink yet. The pitch-black colouring did not faze him in the slightest as he downed the entire glass in one go. Whatever he had added to it had no taste and within a few moments the dull pounding in his head faded away.

Turning away from the window Noct walked to the room directly under the bedroom, placing the empty glass onto one of the many, small tables in the room. It was one large wardrobe and Nick would have been shocked at the shear variety of clothes on display. Nick would  _not_  have been shocked when Noct walked to one of the corners and selected a familiar black shirt, trousers, and red tie combo. Dressing quickly Noct checked his appearance in another giant mirror.

Stepping back into the living room Noct glanced around his home. He had arranged all of this on what he convinced himself was the slight off chance he would ever return to Zootopia. But the effort put into this place only served to reinforce the fact that, deep down, he was always going to return eventually.

_Empty…_

This thought would drift through his mind whenever he looked around his accommodation, be it a penthouse suite or a shady motel room. Shaking his head Noct walked out of the penthouse and locked it behind him. Not that there was much point in that as it was very difficult for anyone unauthorised to reach the front door. Since he was the only resident on the top floors there was actually a private elevator that ran solely between his oversized flat and the lobby and that was the only way in the building to reach the top floors. Unless you climbed up the outside…

Noct grinned as he stepped into the lift, there were quite a few… obstacles if someone decided to try and enter that way. Pressing the lower of the two buttons in the lift Noct waited for the doors to close and for the feeling of freefall as the elevator rapidly descended to the bottom of the Tower. The lobby was fairly quiet by this time in the morning, current residents had mostly started their day and it wasn't time for new customers to arrive at the hotel yet.

"Good Morning Mr. Clement" Noct was greeted by the respectful receptionists as he stepped out of the private lift by the front desk.

He was technically a part owner of the building as that was the  _only_  way to get  _his_  way with building his house on the top floors. Since the staff were well aware of that they were always very polite when dealing with him. Though Mr. Clement had only been present in Zootopia very recently the staff had found him a quiet and kind mammal.

Walking out the front doors of Chrysalis Tower, Noct stretched in the morning sun. He had two main things to do today and was wondering what order to do them in. After thinking for a brief moment though it was fairly clear which of the two would be easier. Luckily Peak Street was just around the corner and that had a major train station.

Stopping only to buy a cricket and cream cheese bagel from a street vendor, Noct leisurely made his way towards the public transport hub. He didn't have anything like a railcard, or many kinds of ID actually, old habits… so he bought a day pass as he had quite a bit of travelling to do.

First stop, Sahara Square.

The train quickly left behind the urban city centre and Noct found himself surrounded by rolling sand dunes. Slightly out of place, off to the left in the distance, you could see the boundary with Tundratown and the blizzards dancing in the air. The train was obviously well air-conditioned given the multitude of environments it needed to travel through so there was no discomfort as it travelled deeper into the scorching desert.

A uniformed deer was pushing a large trolley down the carriage. They were selling refreshments as well as any accessories that may be needed, waterproof ponchos for the rainforest or scarfs to block desert sands for example. Many of the animals bought the latter as the train was headed straight for what was close to the middle of the desert area. Noct politely shook his head and waved the deer on when they reached him earning a puzzled look, he wasn't really a desert creature when you look at him.

Five minutes later and the train pulled in at the station for the Oasis Hotel which was the closest Noct was going to get on this train line. Following all the other animals Noct vanished into the crowd. The panther didn't reappear till he'd walked some way away from the oasis itself. Here the temperature rose and the humidity dropped and naturally the crowds thinned as well. Noct strolled the streets looking far more at ease in the heat than he really should be.

It took him a little while wandering around Sahara Square before he recognised where he needed to be. Climbing up a hill, the street disappeared down into a crevice bringing blessed shade. There weren't many people around here, some animals wearing full robes squatted in the shadows, but none of them showed any sign they noticed as Noct walked past.

Slowly counting the doorways Noct reached the one he wanted and knocked a few times in an odd pattern. When there was no reply Noct reached out and knocked once more. This time there was a sound of movement and the door opened revealing a large camel. Noct stared at him in silence for a long moment before dipping his head slightly.

"My apologies, I appear to have the wrong place" Noct turned to leave.

"Wait" said the camel squinting at him "Nobody comes here without a reason, what was yours?"

"Just looking for someone I used to work with" said Noct not turning back quite yet "they do not appear to be here anymore"

"Here" the camel fumbled behind the door for a little while before holding a piece of paper out to Noct.

The panther took it, nodded to the camel and walked off without looking at what he had received. After leaving the crevice Noct took a few twists and turns. Glancing around he turned to his right and scaled the side of the building next to him, claws digging into the stone and masonry. Feeling better once he was safely sat on the rooftops, Noct opened the note he had been given.

**Bakari**

**26 Palm Street**

Noct frowned.

 _Palm Street_  he thought to himself scratching his head  _that just doesn't feel right._

Still it was the only thing he had to go on right this second so Noct shrugged and walked to the edge of the roof he was on to get his bearings. Palm Street was right in the greener area near the Oasis. Noct flowed over the edge and disappeared back into the warrens of alleys that he had been expecting to find his acquaintance in.

 _This was not where I would have thought to find them_  thought Noct as he walked down the main road of Palm Street. There were shops, crowds, cars, noise… not where he had been expecting to visit this morning. 26 Palm Street turned out to be a small door seemingly trapped between two department stores.

Figuring he had nothing to lose Noct knocked on the door. His ears picked up the sound of movement and he waited patiently. Eventually, after what sounded like a lot of work, the door was finally opened by a doddery looking old lady oryx.

"Well hello dearie" she said, her voice as shaky as she looked "what can I do for you?"

Noct simply held out the note he'd been given for her to see.

"Oh I see, you must be one of Bakari's friends, do come in" she slowly moved out of the way so Noct could enter "Bakari's room is the first on the left upstairs"

Noct nodded his thanks and climbed the stairs, the oryx looked back from closing the door and was surprised to see Noct gone, after all the stairs creaked terribly and she hadn't heard anything. On the landing Noct followed the stairwell back on himself before arriving at the door. Sniffing a few times Noct grinned. He knocked on the door hoping this would be the last one. There was no reply but he could hear some familiar sounds when he put his ear up against the door.

Of course, the door turned out to be locked. Not that that had ever stopped Noct before. Extending a single claw, there were a few clicking sounds and then the door opened cleanly. Stepping inside Noct's eyes flashed. The room was dark, no lights on and one window which was heavily covered by curtains, the only illumination came from the wall to his right. There were six separate computer screens set up along with a large amount of accompanying technology.

Curled up in an expensive looking chair in front of the computers was a cat. She was a Caracal, a desert cat with tufted ears which stuck up above the back of her chair. She was holding a game controller which she was using to play on one of the screens. Her toes however were nimbly dancing across a keyboard writing some sort of post on a message board on another screen. Another screen had various news feeds open and another seemed to be following the stock market.

The sight was very nostalgic for the panther stood in the shadows and he stood there for a few minutes slightly dazed before he came back to himself. Noct reached across and flicked on the lights.

The Caracal called Bakari twisted in her seat glaring at Noct over the top of her chair. She let out a threatening hiss at the sight of someone inside her locked room. However, the hiss soon faltered out as her face drained of colour. Bakari threw herself off the chair towards the window like her life depended on it. A paw grabbed her by the back of the neck and hoisted her into the air before she could reach it though.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no" moaned Bakari "this is not happening, not happening, please tell me this isn't happening"

Noct swivelled the smaller cat round in his hand to face him.

"What shouldn't be happening Bakari? You don't look very pleased to see me again"

"AAAaaaahhh" groaned the cat louder "You're dead, you're dead, you're deaaad, you can't be talking to me cos you're dead" the Caracal burst into sobs.

"Bakari" said Noct sternly as he plonked her back in her chair "do I look dead to you?"

"But, but, but you disappeared and then the Lacerdas were all killed off and you never came back and I thought you were deeeaaad" Bakari burst into tears.

Noct sighed and waited for her to get everything out of her system. Just when he thought she'd calmed down she burst out louder than ever. Bakari leant forwards and grabbed hold of Noct crying into the front of his shirt. He shook his head to himself and gently patted the cat on the back.

"Alright Bakari" said Noct quietly "see, I'm not dead"

Eventually the caracal calmed down and sat back in her chair. Noct sat down on the edge of the bed that was about the only other thing in the room.

"But the Lacerdas" began Bakari before Noct interrupted her.

"Are dead? Yes, yes, they are. However, since when was I considered a Lacerda in anything but sharing the name"

"Then why haven't you ever come back?" sniffled Bakari.

"Life is complicated, you know that" Noct smiled lightly "but I'm back now"

"So, what are you going to do?"

"Well, actually, I'm going to reopen Broken Clockwork, I'll be relying on your skills more than ever now"

"You mean since your fox became a cop?"

"Oh, you been keeping tabs on my brother?" asked Noct with a grin "dangerous game kitty, you might get caught"

Bakari might look young, even after not seeing each other for ten years, but she was a computer genius. If it existed digitally then Bakari could find it given enough time, she had been a vital source of information for Broken Clockwork when they were still running. She agreed to help out again on the condition that Noct owed her a favour. A rare thing to ask for and a rarer thing for Noct to agree to. The smaller cat was just as inquisitive as he remembered and bombarded him with questions about everything that had happened to him over the last ten years. Answering some and evading others, Noct waited for Bakari's vast reservoir of curiosity to run out.

"What are you doing here rather than back in your old place?" asked Noct in a pause in the rather one-sided conversation.

"Ah this place, there was a terrible sandstorm a few years back and that crevice actually got completely buried" Bakari grimaced "Luckily, I always have a stash of supplies so I survived just fine till we were excavated. Buuuut I didn't like the idea of it happening again so I searched for a new place. Took me a while to find this one, landlady keeps to herself and I have access to good internet and that's all I can ask for"

The two talked for a little while longer before Noct decided that he needed to start moving. He made sure he had a few ways of messaging Bakari before letting her get back to her computer wizardry. He didn't see any sign of the old landlady as he left so made sure the door was locked securely behind him.

The detour he'd had to take, along with spending sometime catching up with Bakari, had set back Noct longer than he'd planned. The sun was already past its highest point in the sky and Noct was feeling a little hungry.

_Well, I guess I'm already a bit late, no harm in getting some lunch on the way_

He considered going the whole hog and sitting down in one of the many restaurants or cafes on Palm Street but decided against it. He much preferred to eat on the move, saved time, and… old habits. Unfortunately, due to all the eateries there weren't very many street vendors selling food. Noct had nearly given up and was going to wait till he reached his next destination when he found one vendor who, quite intelligently, had set up outside the train station.

A few minutes later Noct was sat on the wonderfully air-conditioned train happily munching on a bag of cicada chips. The big cat purred slightly as he licked his fingers, as nice of vegetables could be he was definitely more a fan of protein. Satisfied for now Noct looked out into the desert through the window, memories of when he used to live in Zootopia flashed through his head.

_Destroying blackmail material, gathering confessions, planting evidence, protecting famous mammals, intimidation…_

The list went on, but the most important thing was that, while some of these actions seemed bad, Broken Clockwork was very stringent on choosing their jobs. Both Nick and Noct, while they pushed the line with the law, had a deeply ingrained set of ethics and rules. And you couldn't hide things from Broken Clockwork or twist words to make yourself the victim. They would find out and their retribution was often far worse than whatever they had been hired to do in the first place.

Noct blinked suddenly realising that the golden yellows that had been visible before had been replaced with cold blues and whites without him noticing. He shook his head ruefully as he now gazed out over Tundratown.

_I keep getting distracted, I'll need to get that all out of my system soon, it's unprofessional_

The train stopped at a familiar station and Noct disembarked slowly. He looked around, his mind flashing back to a dark, snowy night ten years ago. He could almost see Nick and himself walking along. Stepping outside into the snow, the scenery was close enough that he could recognise. Some of the shops had changed, there were some new buildings and some missing buildings. But it had been ten years and Noct knew that a city was a living, breathing thing, constantly changing.

Slowly he followed the same route as that night long ago. As if reading his memory, the snow howled louder as visibility dropped. It wasn't night time now however and Noct's black and red colour scheme stood out in the blizzard. After walking in thought for several minutes Noct suddenly stopped. The snow calmed just as abruptly leaving a clear view ahead.

_On the roof of a building at the end of the street a moose in winter gear was packing away a rifle and fitting it into a briefcase next to him. He was awaiting a call from the three wolves who were supposed to be on clean up. He didn't notice a shadow slipping over the lip of the roof and sliding up behind him. The first thing the moose did notice was a sharp pain at the base of his neck and a few points down his back. Before he could reach a hand back the moose suddenly found that he couldn't move at all. His eyes widened as a panther slunk out of the dark in front of him, a panther that he had previously only seen down the scope of his rifle._

Noct shook his head to clear his thoughts. This was probably the one place in Zootopia that could get to him like this.

 _Still, that's all in the past_  he thought  _You're back, you've made up with your brother, everything's fine_

_Nearly everything…_

Cracking his neck a few times, Noct shook himself to dislodge the snow that had landed on him while he was lost in the past. Ahead was a building very close to his heart, a mansion that still looked exactly the same as it did in his memories.

* * *

 

Mr. Big was sat in his office, he was listening to the latest report from one of his subordinates, a polar bear called Kevin. He was not best pleased.

"Which means profits are down 15% this month" carried on the bear "last of all, we managed to catch the people who keep raiding the east warehouses on camera"

"It was a squirrel and a brown bear wasn't it?"

If Kevin was surprised at Mr. Big's prediction his face didn't show it.

"Yes sir, we've identified them as Richard Dreyson and Steven Kodiak"

The arctic shrew was silent for a minute before he let out a small sigh.

" _Debole_ , it would seem I have been too lenient on those two. Find them. Ice the first one you catch, it has been a while since we reminded people why they do not mess with us"

Kevin the polar bear nodded and quietly let himself out of the office. Mr. Big sat in silence, he was never alone, Koslov was always guarding him. For some reason, since the Shade had appeared and stirred up the murky waters of Zootopia's underworld, he had become distracted by thoughts of the past. The shrew looked up as someone knocked gently on the door. The mafia boss could recognise all of his subordinates from how they knocked on his door and knew it was the butler, Wesley. Sure enough, the badger quietly pushed open the door and entered the room.

Stopping a respectful distance away the badger bowed.

"There is someone here to see you sir however you do not have any scheduled appointments" Mr. Big was about to wave them away "they say they are here representing Broken Clockwork".

That was a name that the shrew had not been expecting to hear again. Looking down the little mammal saw his paw tremble slightly. He really had been stuck in the past recently.

" _Bensì_ , very well, show Mr Wilde in"

"It's" the butler hesitated slightly "It's not Mr Wilde, sir"

Mr. Big frowned but still gave his approval and waited for the butler to return with this mysterious guest. He did not have to wait long before someone could be heard outside the door. They sounded nervous, shifting about slightly before knocking on the door. Mr. Big waved to Koslov to go receive them while he tried and failed to recognise who had knocked. The giant polar bear walked to the door and opened it, his face visible to his boss. Koslov glared as he opened the door and stared down at whoever was there.

Gradually he frowned, though this was more thoughtful than intimidating, before a glimmer of recognition appeared in his eyes. Mr. Big noticed this of course and leant forwards in his chair slightly as Koslov stepped aside. A figure stepped into the office, hard to see in the dimness of the room, they slowly walked towards Mr. Big.

A panther dressed in a smart black shirt with matching trousers and a crimson tie walked out of the shadows. He stopped in the middle of the room and dropped to one knee. Mr. Big raised an eyebrow, while any who met him were polite, not many acted like this.

"It has been a long time, sir" said the panther in a low voice.

A tumble of memories swept through the old shrew's mind.

_They are here representing Broken Clockwork... It's not Mr Wilde, sir... A panther... It has been a long time, sir..._

" _Sei tu_ , Noctis, you have returned" whispered Mr. Big as he got up from his chair.

The panther looked up at these words feeling a flush of warmth that he was remembered. Noct stood as the mafia boss gestured him closer. He very gently brushed his nose on either side of the shrew's muzzle before standing back up again. The small mammal in front of him meant a lot to Noct. Mr. Big had taken him and Nick under his wing when they were first living on the streets. The shrew, while only being distantly involved in their lives, was more of a father figure to Noct than any in his own family.

"First my Judy came to visit and now you have returned from the grave" chuckled Mr. Big as he lowered himself back into his chair "this has been quite an interesting week so far"

Noct's ears pricked up, Judy? He remembered Nick talking about his rabbit partner and how she had saved Fru Fru's life, earning the gratitude of Mr. Big.

"When news of your family reached us, we feared the worst, it is a happy day, _la gioia_ , that you are safe"

"None of that had an effect on me" said Noct smiling "however, with my name, I felt it would be safer to lay low for a while. I travelled the country for many years but it would seem that Zootopia was always calling me back"

"You are safe and well, Noctis, and that is all that matters" the shrew tilted his head slightly "have you seen your brother?"

"Nick?" Noct smiled "Yes, I saw him yesterday" the smile faded from his face, replaced with nervousness and guilt "I would like to apologise for the actions of my brother in the past, sir"

Mr. Big looked at him carefully, the tiny eyes seemed to stare into Noct's soul.

" _Perdonato_ , it is in the past. Though I expect Mr Wilde would not have acted in such a way if you were still present"

Noct bowed his head, it was true, at the time he had felt the only option was to leave. But that may have caused consequences that he had not intended for his friends and acquaintances.

"Do not worry about it, Noctis" said Mr. Big calmly "now, you came here as a representative of Broken Clockwork?"

"Yes sir" Noctis looked back up eyes full of determination "I intend to reopen Broken Clockwork without Nick, I can't just ask him to stop being a cop. My visit here today is to inform you of this"

"Mmm, good, the city has not been the same without it" a rare grin appeared on the arctic shrew "some people in Zootopia's underbelly have gotten quite complacent recently, it will be interesting to see you disrupt any balance they have"

Gaining Mr. Big's approval again meant a lot to the panther and he happily answered any questions his old 'boss' had. Well, almost any. Mr. Big on the other hand was in a very good mood. So much so that he had pushed the disappointing report he'd received earlier to the back of his mind. In fact, since new and old friends had appeared this week, Mr. Big decided that he would organise a gathering for his extended friends and family. Reassuring Mr. Big that he would certainly attend, especially since he still needed to see Fru Fru again, Noct bid his goodbyes and left the mansion.

It was nearing sundown as Noct wandered the streets of Tundratown, thankfully his day ticket had not quite run out and he could catch a late train back to Downtown. The snow and ice soon gave way to glass and steel and, at this time of the day, neon lights. Noct had been planning to return home however he was struck by a sudden urge. He knew it didn't matter much, he should go get some rest and deal with it in the morning, but as the train got closer the urge just got stronger.

With a sigh Noct knew what he had to do. Getting off the train two stops earlier than usual Noct looked around at Zootopia at night. Flashing lights and flitting shadows covered the crowds of animals enjoying their evening. Noct took a deep breath, this was the world he excelled in and he vanished into the crowds unnoticed.

All around him were talking, walking animals living the night. But Noct could see so much more than that, a mugger choosing a mark, many different pick pockets working the crowds, a kidnapping? No, it looked like the poor antelope had offended someone he shouldn't have as he was escorted away. Noct moved through the crowds like a fish swimming with the river current. He could feel the pull in his chest as he stopped still, a sudden rock in the river of mammals.

Noct looked up at the two skyscrapers in front of him, they were joined at the base and were known as the Twin Calypso. One side was a big casino with restaurants, spas and shopping centres on higher floors. The other side was a hotel to accommodate all the mammals visiting this little self-contained paradise.

Noct walked up to the gaudy entrance along with many other mammals who wanted to spend the night gambling and drinking. There was a constant stream of mammals coming and going through the lobby of the two towers. So nobody noticed when a door labelled 'staff only' opened for a brief moment before closing again.

Noct walked deeper into the bowels of the building following his memory. Slinking past a doorway into a bustling kitchen, Noct carried on further down the corridor he was in. Turning the corner Noct could see a very familiar door at the end of the dark corridor and hurried towards it.

A young wolf in a chef's outfit walked around the corner and started to come towards Noct. The wolf sniffed, he could smell someone here, and not a co-worker he could recognise.

"Who's there?" called out the wolf slowing down his pace.

The air felt like it was shaking against his fur, a rumble he could feel more than hear. Out of the dark a pair of emerald eyes shone, they zigzagged in the darkness, swaying from side to side as they got closer. And closer and closer, the green in the dark seemed to fill the wolf's mind.

His eyes began to refocus and he shook his head to clear the cobwebs. He missed the click of a door behind him. Wondering why he'd just stopped in the middle of the corridor, especially when his shift was starting, the wolf hurried off to his workplace.

The doorway at the end of the corridor was one of the emergency exits that led to the tiny courtyard trapped in between the Twin Calypso. It was pitch black down there; the closest light was from some of the windows of the towers but they were too far up to illuminate the courtyard down at ground level.

A shadow moved through the dark, emerald eyes in the night seeing clear as day as they approached a small building built at one end of the courtyard. Noct walked up and stood in front of the door with frosted glass, gently running a paw over the gears etched into it. Reaching inside his shirt Noct pulled out a black key on a black chain that he always kept round his neck. There was a click as the lock turned and the door opened. Noct disappeared inside shutting the door behind him.

A few minutes later, with a little flicker, the small light above the door, one that had been dark for ten years, switched on. It was just a little light, barely comparable to a firefly in the grand scheme of things, just a tiny star among countless others if you were to look down on Zootopia from high up above. But this weak little light was a spark. One that, from the moment it turned on once more, would spread a wildfire through the underbelly of the city.

There was no other sign of activity from the office of Broken Clockwork. Many more minutes passed, the little courtyard effectively cut off from the rest of the world. Till a furious roar from within broke the silence of the night.

 


	8. Chapter 8

Click. Sigh. Whir. Slap.

Click. Sigh. Whir. Slap.

Click. Sigh. Whir. Slap.

Normally Nick Wilde, much to the confusion of his small, grey partner, didn't mind parking duty. It was calm, providing Judy wasn't getting all competitive, and the fox could take his time and think. Another part of it was that Nick was nowhere near as eager as Judy was to get involved in danger. The bunny would think nothing of taking on armed gang members by herself and often wished she would be chosen to participate in SWAT missions. Nick on the other hand was far more happy dealing with assignments without any mortal danger.

There was a little thought deep inside him that he was a bit ashamed of. And that was that he was glad that Judy would probably never be chosen for SWAT because she was a bunny. It wasn't that he doubted the rabbit, oh no, he'd worked with Judy enough to know she could handle herself. Hell, he'd been present when she was sparing with Francine Pennington the elephant. Judy won. No, Nick didn't want her doing dangerous missions because he cared too-

_And time to stop that line of thought_

Another click of an expired parking meter reached the fox's ears. With a sigh, he wandered over giving any mammal that may be just on the limit ample time to get away safely. There was no one within sight so he entered the license plate into the machine hanging near his hip. With a whirr, it spat out a ticket while logging it on the police data system. And Nick slapped the piece of paper onto the front of the car, pinning it under a wiper.

Thankfully the only thing to do with parking duty that he had on him was the ticket machine. Judy had been devastated to find out that there weren't any suitably sized meter maid jackets. She had been looking forwards to seeing Nick in one of them for the entire time he had been at the academy.

Now as mentioned,  _normally_  Nick would be perfectly happy dealing with parking duty. However normally he would have an energetic grey doe with him to brighten his day. He had specifically requested that Judy not be affected by his punishment in any way so of course there was no way Judy would be with him. She was out on patrol with this Lunette, the new officer, Nick grumbled a little under his breath.

_Are you jealous Wilde?_

_Quiet you! Damnit, this is why I need Carrots, distract me from my own head_

_Yeah, cos I'm **sure**  that's the only reason you want Judy around_

Putoing, ing, ing, ing, ing…

Nick looked up at the meter he'd just punched, it was vibrating wildly. Wincing he glanced down at his knuckles, thankfully he hadn't broken the skin and gotten blood all over his uniform but he was sure that was going to bruise. Still the pain helped clear his mind.

_Come on, just another two days of this after today and then everything can go back to normal._

Thankfully it was nearing lunchtime and soon he'd be able to go on break and catch a bite to eat. There was only so much nice, safe police work you could take before-

A tingle ran down Nick's back making his tail puff up as the fur stood on end.

 _Oh come on_  he thought whimpering slightly  _I'm on parking duty, I like parking duty precisely because I don't feel-_

Another shiver ran down his spine as the fox started to warily view his surroundings. Nothing was out of the ordinary on the street, no enraged animals out to savage him for an unjustified parking ticket. Nick gloomily turned to his left. The street he was on was next to a small patch of woodland. There were quite a few parks like this dotted around Savanna Central.

Nick wanted to ignore it, get as far away from here as possible, that was what those old hustler senses were for. But recently, whenever he thought of doing something a bit shady, a pair of bright purple eyes full of pride would appear in his mind. Just like they did now as he considered fleeing the scene.

_Damnit Carrots, you are going to be the death of me_

Even as Nick wiped a paw down his muzzle he turned and stepped into the park. There wasn't anyone present that he could see, it wasn't quite lunchtime yet on a weekday, and there was no play area so kids would probably head for the next park over.

Nick made sure his tranc pistol was ready at his side just in case anything untoward happened. While he may not be as terrifying as Judy in a fight, the tod could certainly hold his own. Noct had taught him a thing or two in the past. However, the fox much preferred to keep things simple and at arms reach… such as by using a tranc gun.

The park seemed quite quiet, at least by the entrance where he was.

_Hopefully it'll stay that way_

As he walked further in a faint scent caught his attention. It was rather familiar but also not something he'd ever smelled before. Either way it left a horrible feeling in his gut. The scent only seemed to get stronger, though he still couldn't quite place it, as he began walking through the trees.

_Hmm, it doesn't smell like any of the drugs they tested us on at the academy, in fact it smells more like-_

The fox froze as there was a snarl off to his left through some bushes. The colour rapidly drained from Nick's face.

 _Night-howler_  he thought as the bottom seemed to drop out of his stomach  _Oh, I really knew I should have run away_

Paw resting comfortingly on his gun Nick slowly crept closer to the bushes and gently pushed them aside.

In front of him was a young jackal, early-teens maybe. The pup was darting around on all fours, he seemed to be chasing his tail. Every so often he would shudder and claw at the ground while letting out another snarl like Nick had heard earlier. Nick slowly pushed the bushes clear so that he could get a clean shot at the poor animal.

**Crack!**

One of the branches snapped as Nick swore in his mind. The Jackal froze and stared straight in Nick's direction and the slit like pupils brought back repressed memories of savage animals in the fox's mind.

"S…Stay Back" snarled the Jackal as he turned and scampered away into the bushes.

Nick's paw was frozen hovering over his pistol.

 _Well that's not right_  he thought as his hand relaxed and moved away from the weapon  _Night-howlers leave animals unable to talk_

Nick quietly crossed the clearing and peeked through the bushes again. The Jackal hadn't gone far, they were curled up against a tree. Frowning to himself Nick took a gamble. Gently he pushed the bushes aside, the Jackal looked up and growled at him.

"Hey there" said Nick calmly and quietly, it was one of his hustling voices to gain trust but seeing better use now "My name's Officer Wilde, I'm a cop. What's your name?"

"A-As-Asra. Asra Howlings"

"How are you feeling Asra?"

"Angry!" snarled the Jackal struggling to get words together "Everything's s-so LOUD!"

"Relax Asra, just listen to my voice okay? Everything is going to be fine" Nick slowly knelt down and shuffled his way into the bushes too "There is something wrong with you but we're going to get you to a hospital and fix it okay?"

The jackal pup was calming down as he focussed on Nick's voice but at the mention of a hospital his hackles rose and without warning he leapt at the fox. Keeping his swearing internalised since there was a kid present, Nick thrust his right arm out between him and Asra. Claws and fangs ripped into the outstretched appendage drawing blood and a hiss of pain from Nick.

The sight of blood however seemed a major shock to the kid as Asra froze shaking. His eyes even seemed to be wavering between feral slits and normal pupils. Taking a chance Nick sat up and pulled the now crying pup to him, wrapping his tail around them both.

"It's alright Asra" said Nick, his voice exactly the same as it was before, as if his right arm hadn't just been mauled "just focus on my voice, nobody's going to hurt you" Nick started to stroke the Jackal between the ears with his uninjured hand.

The shock seemed to have brought the pup out of the worst of whatever he had been afflicted with and he sat there sobbing while the occasional growl escaped him. The police fox had instinctively become a focus of comfort and support for the pup who held onto Nick's shirt tightly. Gingerly Nick reached down to his waist with his injured arm.

The ticket machine also contained a shortrange radio, as long as he was close enough to a police vehicle then he could call in. Bringing the radio up to his muzzle Nick really hoped he hadn't wandered too far.

"This is officer Wilde, in need of assistance, repeat, in need of assistance"

There was nothing but silence for far too long before

"We read you Wilde, what's the problem?"

"I need back up and an ambulance at the park on Grass Street. Situation is complicated but dealt with" the Jackal in his lap started growling louder "Shh, shh, it's okay Asra, it's alright. Repeat I need an ambulance, I think Night-howlers were involved"

"10-4 Nick" Judy's voice came through the radio "we're a few blocks away and an ambulance is on route"

A wave of gratitude rushed through him that his partner had his back again.

"Be careful when you arrive" said Nick stroking the Jackal "approach slowly and with caution, I'm near the middle of the park"

With no more talking happening Asra calmed down again, shaking as he burrowed into Nick's chest. Nick ignored the pain in his arm and kept on talking to the traumatised pup in that calm and gentle voice of his while he waited for help to arrive.

* * *

 

Judy had been rather down that day. Lunette could understand why; her partner had been stuck with parking duty and specifically shot down any attempts from Judy to share the burden. The wolf could tell that Judy and Nick were pretty close, it was nice to see partners who really had each other's backs, yet another thing she liked about Zootopia and the ZPD.

Lunette had planned to drive for their patrol today however after taking one look at the bunny this morning she decided that maybe driving would be a good distraction for the doe. They were patrolling Savanna Central and it was a good thing Lunette let Judy drive as they saw absolutely nothing.

It was nearly coming up to lunchtime and Lunette was on the lookout for somewhere nice they could stop to eat. She was going to treat Judy since she hadn't managed to buy her a drink yet. Lunette had just spotted a café that might do when the radio crackled into life.

"Thi… ffice… de… in nee… ssist… nce… peat… need of… stance…"

The connection was terrible, they had just driven under one of the train lines which always buggered up the signal. There was silence for a long while as Judy cursed their luck with tunnels.

"We read you Wilde, what's the problem?"

Judy's eyes widened, it had been Nick, why was Nick calling over the radio?

"I need back up and an ambulance at the park on Grass Street. Situation is complicated but dealt with"

A quiet growling could be heard in the background, one that set Judy on edge, she's heard enough snarls like that for a lifetime. A burst of fear ran through her at the thought of Nick dealing with some sort of savage animal.

"Shh, shh, it's okay Asra, it's alright. Repeat I need an ambulance, I think Night-howlers were involved"

Judy's grip on the steering wheel tightened considerably when Nick mentioned the one thing she was really hoping he wouldn't. Lunette had grabbed her phone and called an ambulance as soon as Nick had mentioned a location. Getting a thumbs up from the wolf, Judy grabbed the radio in the car.

"10-4 Nick" she said checking the street signs "we're a few blocks away and an ambulance is on route"

"Be careful when you arrive, approach slowly and with caution, I'm near the middle of the park"

Confused by everything that had been said but understanding the situation was delicate Judy headed for Grass Street as fast as she could. Pulling up beside the park the three-wheeled traffic vehicle could be seen by Judy and Lunette.

"I'll stay and wait for the ambulance" said Lunette as she stepped up onto the edge of the car to get a better view down the street "you go see how your partner's doing, he didn't sound like he was in danger but be careful"

Judy knew she should probably wait with Lunette as well but her nerves had been running high since the moment Nick had called in for help. Nodding, the rabbit took off into the park. Lunette raised an eyebrow before turning back to watch for the ambulance. Judy didn't let everything go to her head, once she reached the more wooded area at the middle of the park she slowed down and began to search for Nick.

Thankfully the wood was quite small and she soon heard a muffled sobbing. Stepping off one of the pathways Judy pushed through some bushes into a clearing. Nick was sat on the floor on the other side of the clearing with a small Jackal pup in his lap. Judy slowly approached like Nick had told her, she trusted his judgement, but when she was only a few meters away there was a growl that made her shiver.

A pair of savage brown eyes glared at her over the top of Nick's tail and Judy stopped where she was.

 _The boy's savage!_  was her initial thought followed shortly by  _and he's in Nick's lap!_

Thankfully, before she could react on instinct, she thought everything through a bit more carefully.

 _Nick is fine, he's been like this for several minutes at least_.

"Shh, calm down Asra" said Nick gently stroking the head of the pup "This is Officer Hopps, she's my partner and the mammal I trust most in the world. She's not going to hurt you, say hello"

Judy's eyes widened as the Jackal pup stopped growling and said "hello" in a quiet but rough sounding voice. Judy's gaze shot up to look at her partner who nodded slightly.

"It's nice to meet you too Asra" said Judy kneeling down on the ground, her voice trying to imitate the calmness of Nick's "An ambulance is nearly here and they'll help make you better okay?"

The Jackal began to get agitated again at the mention of an ambulance.

"Asra" said Nick quietly "we won't let anyone hurt you, me or officer Hopps here, so just stay calm and we'll get you through this okay?"

Asra seemed a little disturbed but still stayed where he was in Nick's lap. Judy's ears picked up sounds of movements and she gently backed away to go and intercept the medics. Indeed, she found Lunette followed by a sheep and a cheetah in paramedic outfits.

"The situation is more complicated than we thought" said Judy quietly as the others stopped in front of her.

"Is there a savage animal?" asked the sheep cautiously.

"I'm not sure" replied Judy raising a paw at the comments that began "the boy does seem to be savage, however he is capable of speech"

This stunned the medics and Lunette, it was common knowledge that a savage animal no longer had any higher functions, they could not talk.

"My partner has calmed the boy down however I'm not sure where to go from here. Do you have any suggestions?"

The sheep and cheetah murmured to themselves for a few moments before coming to a decision.

"It would probably be best for all parties involved if the boy was sedated" said the cheetah "Night-howlers have been shown to put a lot of stress on the body and we don't know how long the patient has been in this state"

"Do you have any sedatives?" asked the sheep "we have a few but they are mostly tablets, and I get the feeling approaching him with a needle would not be advisable right now"

Judy frowned slightly "I'll pass this on to Nick and see what we can manage"

Stepping back through the bushes she re-entered the clearing and returned to where Nick and Asra were sat.

"Asra" said Judy gently trying not to spook him "I've spoken to medics and they say that it will be safer for you if we can put you to sleep for a little while. Whatever is going on, it's hurting your body"

Judy looked at Nick and he understood what to do.

"Hey Asra" said Nick as he fumbled for a dart out of his tranc pistol "do you trust me?"

The Jackal pup froze for a moment before nodding.

"Alright, now this might hurt a tiny bit, but then you'll just drift off to sleep and when you wake up everything will be back to normal okay?"

Nick very carefully rubbed the pup's upper arm as he readied the dart in his paw. The fox flicked his tail up into the Asra's face distracting him long enough to painlessly apply the tranquiliser. Removing the dart quickly Nick carried on stroking Asra's head as if nothing had happened. Slowly the Jackal's eyes began to droop and Asra was soon slumped unconscious against Nick.

Judy let out a deep breath she hadn't even realised she had been holding in. Now that everything had calmed down she realised the sight of Nick with a pup curled up in his lap was very endearing.

Nick struggled to get to his feet, his good arm was holding on to Asra and his other couldn't hold his weight. Judy hurriedly ran over to help him up, she couldn't help but gasp at the blood covering his rather tattered right sleeve.

"Nick?! Are you okay? What happened?" asked Judy full of concern.

"I'm fine Carrots" said Nick "Asra just got a little boisterous earlier that's all"

Judy could guess what had happened and a wave of cold spread through her at the thought of Nick being attacked. Thankfully she knew that there was a medic close by so she didn't panic too much. Supporting him to his feet, Judy led them out of the clearing, carefully holding back any branches in the way. The medics rushed over the moment they reappeared.

The cheetah took Asra from Nick's arms and set him carefully down. Holding one of Asra's eyes open, the cheetah shone a light into them, observing the changes in the slit shaped pupils. He also checked the pup's pulse which left him frowning slightly.

"Is something the matter?" asked Nick with a wince as the sheep applied some short-term disinfectant bandages to his arm.

"His heart rate is abnormally high though it seems to be dropping back to more normal levels. You did a good job getting him sedated, I don't think his body could have handled it for much longer"

Nick felt a burst of relief that the kid was going to be okay.

"I'm going to need you to visit the hospital as well" said the sheep as they finished tying up the bandages "that wound doesn't look too bad but it needs properly cleaning and getting a doctor to look at it wouldn't hurt"

"Don't worry about it" said Nick raising his good paw "we have medical supplies back at the precinct and-"

"I'll take him straight there"

Nick looked down at Judy who had just spoken, about to insist that it  _really_  wasn't that bad when he saw the look in her eyes. It was full of worry and steel and told him that there was no way he was getting around this. Nick rolled his eyes and nodded his head in surrender as the group headed back to the ambulance. The medics carried Asra into the vehicle and made sure he was safely secured before they set off, sirens blaring.

Nick clambered into the back of the cruiser with Judy and Lunette, the three-wheeled vehicle Nick had been using for parking duty could wait.

"Z227 to precinct" called Judy picking up the radio as soon as she entered the car.

"Hey Judy, what's the matter" came Clawhauser's enthusiastic voice.

"Officer Wilde was injured so we are on route to the General Hospital. The… victim… has been sedated and is on route in the ambulance"

"10-4 Judy, was it really Night-howlers again?"

"It was rather more complicated than just Night-howlers Ben, I'm not entirely sure what happened"

Putting down the radio Judy felt like a whole load of tension had left her body, glancing in the mirror she could see Nick sat behind her stretching out over the back seats. Seeing that he was safe had let a huge weight off her mind and she focussed on driving him to the hospital as fast as legally possible. The situation didn't quite warrant her own use of sirens and lights.

"Does anything normal  _ever_  happen with you two?" asked Lunette curiously as she twisted round to look at Nick.

"Hmm" said Nick as he began to count off on his fingers smirking "first bunny cop, worked with a conmammal to solve the biggest case of the year, convinced said conmammal to be a cop, first fox cop, fox and bunny being best friends… no, I don't think so, besides, normal is rather overrated"

Judy let out a chuckle, she was glad to see Nick back to his usual self, they hadn't had much time to interact this morning. But he seemed to have recovered from how he had been yesterday, although that wasn't difficult looking back at how much coffee the fox had needed to consume the day before.

At the same time Judy had felt a little twinge deep down inside when Nick had said 'best friends' and she was desperately trying to avoid thinking about what it meant.

Lunette glanced quietly between Judy and Nick, this was the happiest she'd seen the bunny all day, it was just that looking at them seemed to dredge up some old memories.

It was midday now and traffic was getting busier, the hospital seemed particularly full today as Judy pulled into the car park. The bunny made a silent prayer of thanks that the police could use the special emergency service spots reserved for them, ambulances or the fire service. With the cruiser pulled up Lunette went in ahead to get some information while Judy stood by nervously in case Nick needed any help.

"I'm fine Carrots" quipped Nick as he looked at her through the open car door "I'm a big boy now, I can get out of a car by myself"

"I-I know that" said the doe looking away "I'm just- I'm worried about you" she looked back at him with those shocking purple eyes "am I not allowed to worry about you?"

"Hng" Nick's tongue had stopped working as he stared into the rabbit's eyes "Uh, Y-yeah, glad to know you care"

Hurriedly Nick shuffled his way out of the car in order to distract himself.

_Of course she cares Wilde, she's your best friend_

_Your very attract-_

_We had this conversation earlier and it ended with us punching a parking meter_

Nick nearly flinched when he felt a paw on his forehead as he hopped down from the car.

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Judy "you didn't bump your head or anything?"

"I'm fine, really Judy" said Nick feeling a burst of warmth in his chest "I'm more worried about Asra"

Nick stretched a bit but winced when it pulled on his bandages. Hiding the pain behind a mask, like only he could, he wandered towards the hospital entrance with Judy. Inside, the reception area was pretty busy, as they were expecting given the amount of cars parked outside. Luckily Lunette had managed to corner one of the receptionists and waved them over.

"The ambulance got here about five minutes before us, the kid is in intensive care" explained the white wolf "They've given him the Night-howler antidote but given that the circumstances are a bit odd they are keeping him under observation"

Nick relaxed at this, the whole situation had left him rather spooked if he was honest with himself.

"Also" continued Lunette "a doctor is on their way down now to check your arm"

Nick opened his mouth to say something more when there was a loud snort behind him. Turning around he looked up to see a very grumpy looking female rhinoceros in a lab coat. Seeing the fox in police uniform and a bandage on his arm she realised this was who she had come down for. The rhino didn't say anything, she just reached down and hoisted Nick off the ground by the back of his shirt and carried him off.

"Carrots" called out Nick with a bit of panic on his face as he dangled in the doctor's grip "I don't think I like this"

Judy was torn between worry and laughter as she watched Nick disappear into the hospital.

"Over here Judy" Judy looked round to see Lunette standing by a door "they say we can settle in here"

Judy followed the wolf into what seemed to be a private waiting room. There were some magazines beside the many chairs but Judy was too worked up to sit. Lunette did sit and watched the bunny marching up and down the room.

"He's fine Judy" said Lunette eventually, breaking the rabbit out of her daze "it's nothing major, the medic said it herself"

"Y-yeah, I know, it's just-"

The door opened before she could finish speaking, turning, a little part of Judy hoped it was Nick coming back, though she knew he had only just left. She wasn't expecting to see a cape buffalo in police uniform walk through the door. Chief Bogo scanned the room, seeing only Judy and Lunette, as he closed the door behind him.

"Alright Hopps, tell me what was important enough for me to cancel my phone call to the mayor partway through"

"Night-howlers, sir" the police chief winced, he had really hoped he'd misheard the report when it first reached him "but there's something odd going on this time"

"Odder than savage animals?"

"The… victim… spoke to me sir" the look of surprise on Bogo's face drew a small smile on Judy's "Nick also managed to calm the kid down with only minor injuries to himself, whatever this is it's not your everyday Night-howlers"

"And the child?"

"He has been given the antidote and he's currently asleep under observation in intensive care" replied Lunette reading a few sentences in her notebook "normal Night-howlers put quite a strain on a mammal's body, nobody's sure how this will have affected the boy"

"Hmm, good work you two, I'm going to go speak to the hospital, I'll be back when Wilde returns"

Chief Bogo left the waiting room but his distinctive voice could faintly be heard through the walls as he talked to the receptionists. Without anything to distract her again Judy returned to pacing the room.

"He means a lot to you, doesn't he?"

Judy looked up at Lunette's question. She could feel her ears start to blush but as there was only Lunette here she sighed instead and hopped up on a chair next to the wolf.

"I don't have very many friends" said Judy slowly "I-I mean I get on well with the other officers but I'm not that close to them. There's really only Benjy, Fru Fru, you and Nick"

Judy looked up at a repeated thwacking sound to see Lunette's tail wagging against the seat she was sat on.

"Sorry" said the wolf a little embarrassed "I was just happy you said I was your friend, we haven't really known each other very long"

"And I've known some mammals my whole life and I still don't like them" replied Judy with a sly grin "There may be a few others but I really don't know that many animals in Zootopia that closely. Not like Nick, he knows everyone and everything"

"I get the feeling he isn't actually that close to many people either" pondered Lunette.

"Either way" continued Judy "I-I guess I'm just being a bit of a worrywart, aren't I?"

"Well, when you don't have much, it means all the more to you doesn't it" said the wolf with a bit of a twinkle in her eye.

Judy was sure she must have imagined it because the last time she saw a look like that it was on Clawhauser. Before she could think on it anymore however the door opened again revealing a familiar russet sight. Judy leapt from her chair and rushed across the room throwing her arms around Nick.

"Oof, careful Carrots" grinned Nick waving his newly rebandaged arm "I don't need breaking again"

Someone behind Nick cleared their throat loudly. Judy practically bounced into the air as she moved out of the way so that Chief Bogo could follow Nick into the room. The buffalo waited till everyone was sat down again before talking.

"The boy is asleep and judging by previous uses of the antidote he will be so until tomorrow at the earliest. I've already scheduled a potential meeting with him, so I'll warn you now that that will be your assignment for tomorrow morning. Wilde? That arm isn't going to hinder you from parking duty, is it?"

"No sir" smirked the fox "been taking a lot of yoga lessons, I can use the machine with my feet now"

The buffalo snorted but since Nick was injured didn't make any comments. Judy's mind was starting to drift at the thought of Nick doing yoga, his red and cream fur,  _the muscles underneath…_

Judy sat straight up in her seat earning a puzzled glance from Nick that she tried to ignore.

"Alright, Wilde" continued Bogo "what actually happened, Hopps has filled me in on some things but you were the only one there from the start"

"Well sir, I was minding my own business, ruining some mammal's day with a parking ticket"

"Wilde!" growled the Chief.

"Okay, okay" Nick raised a paw in surrender "I had a bad feeling about the park" he could see Bogo frown "let's just put it down to intuition or a tingle down my spine"

Judy's eyes widened as she thought back to what Nick had said about his 'hustler senses' keeping him alive.

"When I entered the park, I began to pick up a scent that I couldn't quite place, familiar but new at the same time. It wasn't till I heard a snarl that it clicked into place and I recognised that the smell was very similar to Night-howlers. When I followed the noise, I found a Jackal pup running around in a state, clawing the ground. I planned to tranc him but he noticed me. I thought everything was about to go belly up but the pup actually told me to stay back before he retreated further into the wood."

The other officers in the room all frowned as they tried to process this information.

"I'd seen his eyes and he was definitely savage but he had the strength of mind to talk and actively move away from me rather than towards to attack. I took a gamble, I still had my pistol, so I tried to talk to him. Not something we had the luxury of the last time I saw a savage animal. I managed to calm the boy down but at the mention of a hospital he got agitated again. Pounced at me and" Nick gestured with his bandaged arm "it's not serious by the way, lot of blood, smallish wounds. The blood however seemed to be such a shock to Asra that he almost stopped being savage. I continued to keep the pup calm till back up could arrive. We sedated him and now we are here at the hospital"

The room was quiet for a while as those present tried to work out just what on earth had happened today.

"We'll have to wait for the lab results to return before we can find out what was wrong with the boy" said Chief Bogo as he stood up "I have a horrible feeling we have stumbled onto something big. You three are dismissed, get some rest, and Wilde? I'm sure the pup will thank you tomorrow, good work"

Not waiting to see what sort of reaction this caused, Chief Bogo shut the door behind him. Nick grinned as he looked over at Judy.

"See, I told you I was getting into his good books, although maybe he just likes seeing me injured"

"Want me to break your legs?" replied the bunny grinning evilly "You could make detective in a month"

"Sly Bunny"

"Dumb Fox"

"Can we go please?" said Lunette a little exasperatedly "I'd like to make use of this extra free time we now have"

"Ooo, free time" exclaimed Nick as he led the way out of the hospital with Judy walking next to him "You know what that means Fluff?"

"Movie Night?" answered Judy grinning.

"Movie Night!"

Lunette followed just behind watching the two mammals in front. She had a gentle smile on her face and Judy would surely recognise the little twinkle in her eyes.

 


	9. Chapter 9

Nick stood at the doorway to his apartment. He liked his apartment. To him it was like a physical representation of how his life had changed. This was his first accommodation since graduating from police academy, paid for with money he earned working to protect and serve Zootopia. It meant a lot to him, actually, more than he would ever admit. However right at this moment as he looked at it, Nick wished it was a little… better.

He really didn't know why; the place was exactly the same as he left it this morning. He stepped inside and hung his tie up on the coat rack by the door as he often did. He shut the door but didn't lock it as Judy would be coming around at some point later. Walking down the little corridor everything was still the same, a single toilet to the left, the entrance to the kitchen to the right and the living room dead ahead.

Unsure as to what exactly was wrong, Nick decided vague feelings like that could wait while preparing for movie night could not. This was a two-step plan. Step one being to prepare the fox and step two being to prepare everything else. Nick found that most things could be boiled down to a two-step plan if you tried hard enough.

Nick changed out of his uniform and carefully put it away in his bedroom. Nick made sure to keep his apartment tidy enough and especially so with anything to do with his new career. It didn't come particularly easily to the fox, he'd never really lived somewhere that warranted such care, however this apartment meant a lot to Nick and he wasn't going to let it get out of hand.

 _Especially not with Carrots coming round_  thought Nick as he grabbed a towel and headed for the bathroom located next to the bedroom, sadly not an en-suite. There was a toilet, a sink with a mirror and a suitably large shower. Nick tossed the towel onto the sink and turned on the shower from as far away as he could get. The water was always freezing when it first came on. Nick hummed to himself quietly, while the shower was cold at the start it did have its good points, it always warmed up nice and quick.

Stepping into the flow of hot water Nick hurriedly adjusted the temperature before he boiled himself. He relaxed as the water lowered to a suitable heat, the shower often heated itself too fast  _and_  too much. The water quickly drenched the fox entirely, his fur running down and sticking to his body. His muscles, which were normally well hidden on his lean frame, could easily be made out now. The police academy had been good for the fox, he was now in the best physical condition of his life. If Noct were to see this he'd be a bit surprised, the panther had specifically taught the fox a few self-defence techniques years ago that revolved around the fact he was not in peak fitness.

Thinking of the time Nick grabbed the shower gel and began to lather himself up. Thankfully there was still a ways to go before his winter coat started to grow in otherwise he would be here all evening. The warm water helped to wash away all the stress that had been piling up from the day. Just the off chance that Night-howlers were involved in some way still set the fox on edge.

The day had obviously gotten to the fox as the steamy warmth of the shower started to make his mind drift. He thought about the great times he was going to have now that he had his brother back, they still needed to go catch up with Finnick. Life was looking pretty good right now, Mr. Big no longer hated him, he'd seen Albert again. And it was all down to a small, grey bunny. As it often did, Nick's thoughts turned towards Judy without him noticing. If anyone had been looking they would have found a dopey looking smile on his face.

A beautiful grey doe in a ZPD uniform appeared in his head. She had sultry look on her face, her purple eyes half-lidded, as she came towards him. Slowly she slipped out of her uniform as the fox's jaw dropped and she stepped into the shower with him.

**FFFWWWSSSHHH!**

Nick had slammed the tap and freezing water poured down from above sending him shivering almost instantly. Not caring about the mess Nick leapt out of the shower and grabbed hold of the sink staring at his reflection in the mirror as he took several deep breaths.

"Not cool Wilde" he said to himself.

_What? Because you were fantasising about one of the most gorgeous mammals we know?_

"She's my best friend, and she's a-"

_Rabbit? So what, you still think she's damn fine_

"I'm not thinking about this, I'm not thinking about this, I'm not thinking about this"

_I guess that's why you felt bad about the apartment too, didn't think it was good enough for her?_

"Judy's been round hundreds of times for Movie Night"

_Well maybe this is the first time that you've thought about the fact that you lo-_

"SHUT UP!" Nick shouted over the sound of water falling from the shower "I don't get to think things like that" Nick's voice dropped to a whisper as he crawled back into the shower, he didn't even bother increasing the temperature as he sat there with his eyes closed "I'm a fox, a sly trickster in the eyes of the public, even if I am a cop. There's no way I'd ever deserve someone as wonderful as Judy"

_Sigh, Zootopia certainly isn't a paradise for that sort of thing. We saw enough of those scandals while we were at Broken Clockwork._

Nick sat there as the cold water poured over him, it almost felt like he was sat out in the rain like he had done many times in the past. Or when he was struggling with the Tundratown section of the obstacle course at the police academy.

_Oh look, and that brings us back to thinking about Judy again_

Nick groaned and forced himself out of the shower. Thankfully sitting in the water like that had finished washing all of the suds out of his fur. Nick stepped onto the floor dryer in one corner of the bathroom, you had to be staying in a particularly run-down place for it not to include one. Meaning that this was the first time in what felt like forever that Nick had access to one. He savoured the warmth and feeling of air passing over him that most Canids had a fascination with.

Finished in the bathroom he returned to his bedroom to get dressed. He picked a plain black t-shirt and a pair of shorts. He had gone off wearing those Hawaiian shirts he used to have.  _Still_  had, they were in a drawer somewhere, he didn't want them as they reminded him of his old life but couldn't bring himself to throw them away.

In suitable attire now for a relaxing evening with a friend Nick moved on to step two of his two-step plan. First stop was the kitchen. Rummaging through the cupboards and the fridge Nick found what he wanted eventually. He dumped it on the living room table and went through it counting off a tick list in his mind.

"Scorpio-crisps (Extra Spicy), Cicada chips, carrot sticks for Carrots' snacks, mixed salad if she gets hungrier, plenty of different dips" Nick had gone through about half of the rations so far "and popcorn" that covered the other half "You can never have enough popcorn"

Nick was just about to start sorting through the collection of DVD's that sat on and around the TV stand when he was interrupted by a knock on the door.

* * *

 

Judy was sat on her bed with her head in her hands. For one of the very few times in her life she didn't know what to do. It was like a vast, gaping chasm had opened up before her, taunting her, a challenge that she had never expected to have to face.

She didn't know what to wear.

She had been to Nick's hundreds of times, especially for Movie Night, and she'd never even stopped to consider things like this before. So why now? What was so different about this time?

Judy thought back over the past few days, both her actions and Nick's, mainly Nick's,  _that kiss_... As she ran through it all in her head Judy shuddered as she came to a conclusion.

_This is all Clawhauser's fault!_

Judy slumped back onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Everything had been going just fine, Nick had become a cop and her partner and she couldn't be happier. They hung out, they solved cases, work was even more enjoyable now having him around. Okay, so her parents had started to badger her about whether she'd found a boyfriend yet but it's not like that was the first time they'd tried that.

It wasn't like Judy was against the idea of a relationship. It's just that she'd never met the right person. Hell, she still hadn't been living in Zootopia for that long. As a bunny who wanted to be a cop she had always been a bit of an outcast growing up, most of her friends were sheep and other species, not rabbits. This had followed her all the way to adulthood as she still found it a little hard to make real friends despite her optimistic and hard-working nature. So she still, even after all this time, didn't actually know that many people in the city. Especially not anyone she felt was suitable.

Judy wanted someone who could complement her, support her, cover for her flaws. She wanted them to have her back as much as she'd have theirs, someone she could trust with anything. She shook her head chuckling to herself, just where exactly was she going to find someone who could fit with her so perfectly?

A familiar figure with red and cream fur, a devilish smirk, deep green eyes, muscles she was starting to notice, and a ZPD uniform strolled into her mind. Judy shook her head a bit harder this time as she tried to think about something else. But she couldn't help going back over what she wanted from a relationship and comparing it with Nick.

"Sweet cheese and crackers" whispered Judy to herself, her eyes widening.

This was uncharted territory for the bunny. She'd never even had a crush on someone during her time at school, she'd always been so focussed on her dream.

_Do I like Nick?_

_Well, he ticked off against pretty much all the criteria I just listed, he's handsome too_

_But it's Nick! My best friend! Who is a fox!_

_Well it's not like a rabbit has ever made you feel like this_  came a tiny little voice

Judy groaned as she lifted a pillow over her head and dropped it on her face. She was extremely grateful that her neighbours weren't home yet, their noise and opinions may have been too much for Judy to cope with right now. After a few minutes sat under the pillow Judy realised this wasn't doing anything to help. She sat up and scooted off the bed.

"Okay" she said to herself "so I seem to have a crush on my best friend. That's fine, lots of people have crushes on their best friends. I can cope with this"

As if coming to terms with this had taken a huge load of her, Judy suddenly found her problem about clothes to be rather silly. She got changed into the pink plaid shirt she had worn when they had foiled Dawn Bellwether's plot. With quite a bit more perk she left her tiny apartment. It sort of said something about the place that her room hadn't been filled despite Judy being away from Zootopia for about three months during the Night-howler case.

Still, Judy had gotten used to it despite all of its flaws and on the plus side it was reasonably close to both Nick's place and the police department. Judy glanced at her car before deciding to walk to Nick's. It was still pretty early so the streets were rather empty. Judy waved to a few animals she saw regularly when she went for morning jogs. Other than that, nobody reacted to her which she was thankful for. While nothing like the Burrows, there were bunnies in Zootopia and unless she was wearing her uniform most mammals didn't recognise her as Judy Hopps. For once she was grateful that some mammals found it difficult distinguishing between animals of another species.

The sun was still quite high in the sky when Judy arrived outside Nick's apartment block. She wandered up the steps, Donald was still sat in his security booth as usual. He looked up as someone entered, he raised an eyebrow at the rabbit, he hadn't been expecting her for a while.

"You're early aren't you Judy?" he asked as she skipped through the foyer.

"We got dismissed earlier today" said Judy with a smile "and it is a Wednesday after all so…"

"Movie Night?" asked the ram, though he already knew the answer.

"Movie Night!" said Judy as she disappeared up the stairs.

Donald smiled to himself and settled down to read his newspaper again. Judy was still talking to him more naturally. The ram could tell how anxious she had been last time so he was happy that she had seemed to accept him at least a little bit. He quite liked the little bunny.

* * *

 

Nick stiffened at the knock on the door. He knew everything was ready, well everything but himself, he'd been half hoping Judy would take a little more time. Not that the waiting wasn't grating on him, he really didn't know what to do. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. It was just Movie Night, they'd done this hundreds of times, and this one would be a great success just like the others. Putting on a mask, which he rarely did around Judy, Nick smirked and went to open the door.

"Hey Carrots you're late" he said as he opened the door "I was starting to think you weren't co… ming…"

Nick stared at the vision of loveliness in front of him. She was wearing the pink plaid shirt from when she had found him under the bridge. He remembered how, just like now, the sight of her had completely blown him away. He hadn't been able to put on a mask and had to turn away to keep his emotions from running over his face. And then, before he could sort out his feelings, she had given that tearful apology.

 _There was never any chance I wouldn't forgive her_  Nick thought looking back.

Judy had been psyching herself up for seeing Nick but when he actually opened the door she found herself panicking.

 _I'm not sure I can cope with this_  she thought  _how do other mammals deal with having a crush on their best friend?_

Now that she had admitted to herself that she had some sort of feelings for the fox it was as if she was looking at him for the first time. Only this time she wasn't instantly suspecting the sly fox sneaking into the ice cream parlour, this time all she could think was that he was roguishly handsome. He had that smirk of his which now sent her heart beating faster but as she watched it faded from his face. She started to go slightly red as Nick just kept staring at her intently.

"Can I come in?" she asked slightly nervously.

Nick came to with a start and hurriedly moved out of the way to let Judy in. She saw him scurry off into the kitchen as she shut the door behind her.

"Make yourself comfortable Fluff" came Nick's voice from the kitchen "Carrot Juice for you?"

"You're learning Slick" said Judy as she walked into the living room.

Judy hopped up onto the sofa, grabbing the carrot sticks and a pot of humous to dip them in. Nick returned with their drinks to find her nestled in her seat with no obvious intention of setting the DVD up. He put the drinks down with a sigh and moved to the pile of movies he had been going through when Judy arrived.

"What shall we watch then Carrots?" asked Nick with his back to her.

"Well, since we have time, how about a marathon of something?"

"Hmm, not a bad suggestion, let's see" Nick plucked out a few different movies "Star Paws? Harry Otter? Lord of the Purrings?"

"Choices, choices" grinned Judy from the sofa as she watched Nick's tail swishing back and forth "we watched Lord of the Purrings recently so how about Harry Otter?"

"Your wish is my command" said the fox as he managed to take out a disc and put it in the DVD player dramatically.

Judy giggled slightly before catching herself. Nick plonked himself down on the sofa next to her and grabbed some popcorn. The movie began and Nick was glad that the evening was settling into a usual Wednesday for the two of them. He hadn't watched this one in quite a while and Nick soon lost himself in the film.

Judy was watching too for quite a while but when she finished her carrot sticks she reached out for some popcorn as well and she caught a glance of Nick. She was entranced by the simple joy written on the fox's face. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest as she just watched Nick. The fox leaned forwards to grab his drink which startled Judy, she sat back looking at the screen hoping he hadn't noticed anything.

Nick showed no sign that he had, he was too engrossed in the movie, the main character was about to be sorted into his house. Judy shook slightly, she had a good idea; while reaching out for more popcorn she knocked some over and had to scoot closer to Nick to reach more. Nick was still watching the movie and didn't seem to notice that Judy was right next to him now.

Judy could feel her heart beating in her ears as she tried to stop her nerves. Slowly she slumped into Nick's side. The fox suddenly tensed as he felt a soft warmth pressing into him. He couldn't bring himself to look and just glanced down from the corner of his eyes. Judy was snuggled up beside him watching the movie as she leant against him.

Nick struggled to get his eyes back on the movie with such a terrible distraction next to him. It felt like every part of him was on fire.

_A rabbit can't put out that much heat, right?_

He really didn't want to do anything to spoil what was happening but at the same time his injured arm was rather uncomfortable. Suddenly a sneaky thought wormed its way into his mind.

_Let's see how she likes this_

Nick shifted slightly first, when Judy didn't move away he figured he was safe, stretching out his injured arm, Nick gently put it around the rabbit's shoulder.

Judy could feel Nick move his arm, she knew it was injured and she felt a little bad with what she'd done. She hadn't thought about his injury when she cuddled up next to him. The next second though all those thoughts disappeared as she felt his arm wrap around her. Her breath caught in her throat and the only thing she could think was that she never wanted to move again.

Nick was sure she'd shrug him off and had prepared a whole host of one liners to distract them from what he'd done. But his partner made no indication of doing that which sort of took the wind out his sails.

So the two of them sat there like that, both of them intensely aware of the other's actions though not their thoughts. The movie was nearing the end however neither of them were paying much attention anymore. Not that they were outright looking at each other, just sneaking a small glimpse every so often. They didn't even notice when the movie finished, Nick and Judy just couldn't bring themselves to move and break the atmosphere.

**Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang**

The moment shattered. Nick and Judy both stared at the door as if their eyes could burn through it and into whoever was interrupting. Feeling terribly regretful Nick made to get up but was halted by a small, grey weight attaching itself to his arm. Looking down Nick could feel his resolve melting as he lowered himself back down onto the sofa.

"The door's open" shouted Nick with gritted teeth.

The door, which was currently not in either of their good books, was slammed open, shaking some dust from the corners of the hall. A panther in a black shirt and red tie stepped into the apartment carrying a duffel bag on his back. Judy could feel an anger growing inside her, someone had interrupted such a wonderful moment and then barged into Nick's place like he owned it. Looking at Nick however she felt herself deflate, the fox actually had quite a happy expression on his face.

"So, this is where you live?" said Noct icily as he walked slowly towards the living room, eyeing up the apartment as he went.

"Yup" said Nick happily standing up to greet him "rented entirely legally with nothing but legitimately earned money, I'm quite proud of the place really"

Noct looked into the kitchen area and shook his head in disgust. Judy could feel herself getting extremely irritated with the stranger.

 _How dare he act like this to Nick_  she thought clenching her fists.

Nick however was still happy to see this panther despite how they were acting which confused Judy somewhat. The joy in his eyes was starting to falter however as Noct kept being so cold.

"You only got this place once you finished the police academy" said Noct his eyes full of ice and anger "and before that you spent a lot of time homeless, living under a bridge or in and out of shady dives"

Nick scratched the back of his head ruefully, he had indeed spent quite a few years living rough so to speak.

"Ten years Nick" said Noct his voice slowly starting to build in volume and passion "Do you know one of the things that kept me going? It was knowing that, at least, you would be able to live comfortably!" he was shouting now "and do you know what I found when I returned to Broken Clockwork?"

Nick's expression was turning slightly ugly, he had a horrible idea where this was going. Seeing that Nick was not happy to see the panther anymore, and confused by the conversation, Judy started grinding her teeth as she resisted tackling the guy.

"I found everything!" Noct roared "You! Did! Not! Take! A single! Penny! And you would rather live under a bridge? Is that all Broken Clockwork meant to you!?"

"That's it!" shouted Judy "Nobody walks into my partner's house and starts insulting him like this. Now I suggest you make yourself scarce or I will you arrest you for breaking and entering because you are  _not_  welcome here. What gives you the right?!"

To Judy's surprise her words did not seem to have any effect on the panther who just turned away from Nick to face her. If anything, he seemed even angrier.

"I'm his brother!" shouted the big cat "now shut it, Short-stack!"

Judy was going practically purple with rage and was about to verbally tear the panther a new one when a feral snarl tore through the room. Both she and Noct turned to Nick from which it had originated, even the fox himself seemed shocked by the ferocity of it.

"Don't you  **ever**  call her-"

Another snarl interrupted him, this one from the panther. Despite how surprised Noct was at Nick's reaction, Noct glanced at the rabbit that he guessed was the cause, the panther's anger had been stewing overnight and nothing was going to interrupt it.

"Zip it Wilde" he growled "Gear 1 doesn't get to talk now, I'm still royally pissed off with you! Now, tell me why didn't you use any of the money?"

"Because it wasn't mine" shouted Nick back, a surge of anger bubbling up inside him "That money belongs to Broken Clockwork and I refused to touch  _any_  of it without you!"

The panther stared at Nick in shock, his mouth hanging open, sadness, confusion and disbelief running across his face. Judy actually found herself feeling a little sympathetic for him. She hadn't pieced together  _exactly_  what was happening, but she'd heard enough and the more she heard the more she realised that Nick's actions had hurt his brother.

" _We_ , Nick" Noct almost whined " _We_  are Broken Clockwork! Did you think that I'd get angry about you spending money we earned together? What do you take me for you… you… you…"

Noct's brain was still trying to comprehend the sheer childishness that the entire problem had originated from and he couldn't for the life of him think up a suitable insult.

"Dumb Fox?" came a voice from the sofa.

"Yes!" said Noct turning to Judy "Thank you, Short-stack!" he turned back to Nick "You bloody, fucking, stupid, DUMB FOX!"

The panther stood there panting, his chest heaving like a pair of bellows as Nick stood in a daze. The fox barely reacted in time as Noct threw the duffel bag he had been carrying at him.

"Now I'm not planning to look at you again till I've managed to calm down a bit" said Noct in a low voice "and if I find you later and you still haven't used that share, I will  _literally_ force feed you whatever remains in that bag!"

Having said his piece and with a "Goodnight, Short-stack" to Judy, Noct turned and stormed out of Nick's apartment slamming the door shut behind him.

There was silence in the apartment. Judy was very confused with how she was feeling right now, this evening had been quite the emotional rollercoaster, but mainly she was worried about Nick. The fox was just sort of standing there in the middle of the room, a blank look on his face as he stared at the duffel bag in his hands. Nick let out a small sigh and walked back over to the sofa. He dropped the duffel bag on the floor and damn near collapsed backwards to sit next to Judy.

"I fucked up" he whispered holding his head in his hands "I knew he'd find out, he always does"

Judy could feel her heart aching at the sight and burrowed her way into Nick's side, wrapping her arms around him. With how low he was currently feeling, the warmth he felt looking down at the beautiful doe seemed all the more overwhelming.

"Look, Nick" said Judy gently looking up at him "I'm sure everything's not as bad as it seems. This brother of yours did seem to be overreacting a bit"

"Perhaps" said Nick gingerly bringing his injured arm around her as Judy shivered happily at the touch "you don't quite get how close we are though, when I thought he was dead and gone it felt like the world had just stopped. Noct probably wasn't kidding when he said 'knowing that I was safe kept him going'."

To be honest with herself Judy was rather annoyed with Nick as well. She'd seen what he used to do to make a living and she'd seen him living under a bridge personally. Now that she found out that he never actually had to do any of that, it hurt thinking about what he put himself through.

"I'm not saying I like the guy so far" said Judy begrudgingly "but I do sort of agree with him, why didn't you use the money?"

"Noct" said Nick quietly feeling Judy snuggle a little closer "his name is Noct. And I thought you two would get on well when you first met, strange how things work out" Nick let out a sigh "I'm too proud Judy"

Nick and Judy were very open with each other, she was one of the few mammals that got to see the real Nick, the one behind all his masks. So she knew that what he was telling her came straight from the heart and this made her a little giddy.

"When Noct 'died' I didn't want to see anything that could remind me of him. I never went back to any of our old haunts, not for years, and I never went back to Broken Clockwork. I would have been fine if that money had sat there hidden till the end of time. I preferred to live in some of the roughest parts of the city than face the fact he was gone, I'm too stubborn sometimes"

"Nick" said Judy with those amethyst eyes that seemed to melt his soul "If you two are as close as you say you are, then he'll get over this soon" she was reluctant to leave nick's side and stifled a little groan as she leant forwards off the sofa "I mean, he still came to give you this, even if he ranted while doing so"

Nick had been so entranced just watching the grey doe as she genuinely tried to comfort him that he didn't really take in her current action. Before he realised it, Judy had pulled the duffel bag up onto the sofa between them.

"No, no, no wait"  **Ziiiiiiiiiip**  "God dammit Carrots"

Judy stared uncomprehendingly at the sheer amount of bank notes that filled the duffel bag. She had picked up on the fact that Noct had brought a share of the money for Nick but she had never considered how much that might be. She tried to count how much she could see but she was slightly dazed and just couldn't keep track of it all.

"H-how much is this?!" she asked looking at Nick in shock.

"We would keep three duffel bags worth of cash on hand at Broken Clockwork, one each for me and Noct and one spare, for various reasons" Nick winced, he wasn't sure how Judy would take the next part "each one should have 500,000 bucks"

"500,000!?" Judy stared blankly down at the duffel bag once more.

Nick could see the emotions running across the bunny's face, sure enough she was starting to get mad. He could see it building up, she was probably going to berate him for not using this money before, he could have lived like a king and never hustled again. And then would come the questions about Broken Clockwork and the rest of his past. Right as he braced himself for the coming onslaught however Judy shook. A look of horror and guilt spread across her face making Nick go cold. Judy almost looked like she was about to cry and turned away from Nick.

 _That's not the Judy I know_  he thought worriedly.

Nick shoved the duffel bag onto the floor, cash spilling everywhere, before grabbing Judy and pulling her into his chest. The rabbit stiffened in surprise, still looking like she was about to cry, before she burrowed into his chest in return.

"What's wrong Judy?" asked Nick in concern "If it's something I did, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so set in my ways"

"No!" gasped Judy "no, it wasn't you, I-I thought of something that… that I shouldn't have"

"What could that be, to get my sly bunny in such a state?"

Judy felt herself blush at the thought of being  _his_  sly bunny. Luckily her face was in no way visible to Nick at that moment. Nick's ears perked up, Judy had mumbled something into his chest that he couldn't make out.

"What was that?"

Judy sat back away from Nick on the sofa, she looked over at him bashfully, her ears giving away her embarrassment.

"I said I was glad you didn't touch the money because otherwise I would never have met you"

Nick felt his heart thumping in his ears, the rush of emotions was rather overwhelming. How did he, an ex conmammal, possibly deserve the company of such a kind-hearted, wonderful,  _beautiful_  animal. Not to mention that she was right, Nick felt cold for a moment when he considered that if he had ever not been so stubborn in the past then he would never have met Judy. Nick didn't even notice as he reached out a paw and gently traced it down Judy's cheek.

Judy felt suddenly light, like she was floating, when she spoke her mind. She watched Nick's face, which was normally so hard to read, as his emotions appeared in plain view. The tenderness in his eyes as he gazed down at her made her feel things she'd never felt before. It was a little frightening actually.

Judy stiffened as she saw Nick reach out a paw. Her eyes were wide as she felt the gentle touch. It was ever so soft yet her cheek felt like lightning was rolling down it.

"N-Nick" said Judy softly as she trembled.

Judy's voice cut right through the muddle-headedness that had settled on Nick. Glancing down he realised what his paw had just done, acting as if it had a mind of its own.

_What are you doing! She's a rabbit! She's your best friend! You don't just, argh!_

His mind reeling at how he may have just ruined the greatest thing to have happened to him in the 32 years he'd been alive, Nick sat bolt upright and coughed while glancing away.

Judy felt a little pain at Nick's sudden change in behaviour but at the same time what had just happened really sank in. She was quite glad Nick wasn't looking at her, it gave her a chance for the blush to fade from her cheeks and for her to calm down.

_Cos you wouldn't manage that if he looked at you with that gaze again…_

Nick jumped and looked round to see Judy thumping one of her paws into the side of her head. She stopped embarrassedly when she noticed him looking. There was a long drawn out moment of awkwardness as Nick looked down at his phone to distract himself.

"Huh, it's only 9:30" he said half to himself "almost forgot we had extra time tonight"

"Well, it is movie night" said Judy perking up "and there's still more night left"

"Right, right" nodded Nick glad their usual atmosphere was returning "so more movies?"

"I'll get more snacks" said Judy with a grin as she bounced over the back of the sofa and headed for the kitchen.

"Check the fridge" Nick shouted after her as he started to go through the collection of DVD's again.

Out in the hallway Noct had never left and was leaning back against the door to Nick's apartment. He seemed to have calmed down a lot, no more anger in his expression, in fact there was a small, sad smile on his face. He listened for a few more minutes as Nick and Judy continued as they normally did around each other.

"A bunny huh?" he said to himself as he pushed off from the door, went down the stairs and headed out of the apartment block into the darkening night "well, not like I can talk"

 


	10. Chapter 10

For once Nick woke up before his alarm. It should be mentioned that the fox could easily sleep in till gone midday if given the opportunity. So a situation like this was about as rare as pigs flying and Nick knew that porcine pilots were an uncommon commodity. He stared up at the ceiling for a long while wondering if he  _had_  actually woken up because he was still buzzing from last night. Hearing his heart thumping and his nerves twanging as he remembered yesterday's Movie Night, Nick knew it was true.

He groaned as he forced himself out of bed, he currently had a three-step plan, which was shower, coffee and everything else. He was sure he could work it down to a two-step plan if he worked at it but it was far too early in the morning for intense mental exercise like that. Still, maybe he could cut out the coffee, Nick found that he felt full of energy this morning.

Rather than believe that however he figured he'd run through the morning normally and see how it went, he didn't want to suddenly crash from caffeine deficiency just as he got to the precinct. The fox plodded into the bathroom and grabbed the broom from by the door. He'd mentioned the finicky shower controls to Judy last night during one of their conversations and she'd suggested just using a pole or something. Nick tried not to let on how stupid he felt for not thinking of something like that.

Judy's idea was a good one, the shower was turned on and the temperature suitably adjusted all with Nick only needing to wet a paw just to make sure it wasn't going to boil him alive. He showered as usual, no time for day dreaming, and was clean, dry and ready for the day in about half an hour. Nick could take his time getting dressed for once, not that he ever looked untidy, he had to say that he'd attracted a lot of stares from vixens during his first few months on the force.

_Not that you've ever felt anything from all that attention, your favourite colour has shifted from red to purple… or maybe grey_

Nick sighed as he wandered into the kitchen, it looked like he'd need that coffee after all. He'd almost come to terms with the little voice in his head. It certainly wasn't going away in any case and not for lack of trying. Nick had spent the best part of twenty years keeping people out of his life. The few exceptions being Noct, Albert, Finnick and a couple of others. Sure, he said he knew everyone in Zootopia but that didn't mean that everyone knew him. Hell, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd spoken to his own mother.

_Yes you can, it was after Noct disappeared and you started that downward spiral and…_

"I've not even gotten out of the apartment yet and I already find myself insufferable" Nick mumbled to himself as the coffee maker finished spitting out his drink "I don't know how Carrots manages"

Nick smiled to himself as he thought about Judy, he could almost feel the unending stream of energy she always seemed to give off. Nick smiled ruefully, to be honest Judy Hopps was bad news for the fox. Right from the moment they'd met she had dragged him along at her pace. The doe somehow seemed equipped with everything you could ever need to break off, chip away at, or just slip past the walls and armour Nick had spent so many years building around himself.

He'd tried to deny it, still was in fact to make himself feel better, but Nick had to face up with the fact that he clearly felt some kind of attraction to Judy. A long sleepless night tossing and turning in bed gives you a lot of time to think. Add on to that the fact that he was having conversations with himself about the topic and, now that he looked back on it, everything seemed rather obvious.

_Look, we both know that we aren't capable of love, not after Lily… it's been 17 years and our heart hasn't stirred for any of the countless females we've met... we're broken_

_You also never met anyone like Judy in all those years…_

_She changed my life, I can't ask for anything more than that, and there's no way in hell that I'll let her get hurt by being with a fox. Zootopia can be a rather backwards place sometimes._

Taking a deep breath Nick finished his coffee and prepared himself to go see the bunny in question. Locking up his apartment, Nick wandered downstairs and out of the building, pausing to nod a greeting at Donald on the way out.

Just like usual Judy's green car was sat outside the apartment block. This time however Nick couldn't help but hesitate slightly as he walked towards it. Nick was about to knock on the window when he caught sight of the bunny sat inside. Judy looked just like she always did, sat there listening to her music, but for some reason it just seemed… more to Nick today, he couldn't quite place it.

Tapping on the glass Nick watched as Judy jumped in her seat and fumbled for her music player. She hurriedly unlocked the door for her partner and tried not to stare as he climbed in the cruiser next to her.

"Ready for the day Slick?" she asked busying herself with starting the car.

"Yeah" said Nick slowly as he watched the grey doe, he was actually feeling full of energy "for once I think I am"

There was silence in the car which was a first, neither mammal knew what to talk about. The quiet between him and Judy was starting to wear on Nick and he opened his mouth to say something, anything, but Judy beat him to it.

"What's Broken Clockwork?" she asked quietly, glancing covertly at her partner.

The question was not one he had expected first thing in the morning and had knocked Nick for a bit of a loop. He closed his mouth that was hanging open slightly and considered for a moment.

"That is a question with a very long and complicated answer, one that is far too long to tell in the amount of time it takes to get to work" Nick could see Judy's ears start to droop when he wouldn't tell her "However, next time we are alone and have the time, I'll tell you all about it" Judy looked over at him hopefully "I promise" Nick held his paw up in the Junior Ranger Scouts pawsign.

Judy relaxed at this, if Nick promised on scout's honour then he would definitely tell her sooner or later.

"In that case" she said thinking "What have you done with the money?"

Nick glanced at Judy out of the corner of his eyes, he'd seen enough of greed and envy to know that Judy had none of that, she was just asking out of concern for him.

"It's securely hidden in my apartment for now, I do have  _some_ safe places, but I'm not entirely sure what to do about it"

"Well if you don't spend it on something then that big brother of yours is going to make you eat it" joked Judy.

"Not funny" said Nick looking over with a rather deadpan expression on his face "You think he's joking? Noct very rarely uses the word literally"

The car swerved slightly as Judy's head flicked round to look at Nick. Slowly his trademark smirk slid across his face and Judy gave a deep sigh.

"You should have seen your face" said Nick chuckling, it just got louder as Judy grumbled and turned back to the road "He will make me eat it though"

Judy just took a sidelong glance at him this time, what worried her was that she knew Nick, he would often deflect conversations with, or hide information in, jokes.

"Then you'd better get spending, find a nice vixen, show her the town, I'm sure you could blow 500 grand that way"

Judy had a sly grin on her face as she said that but inside she was hurting far more than she thought she would. Nick had turned to look out the window as soon as she mentioned a vixen, his mask always slipped around Judy and he didn't want her catching sight of something best left buried. This also meant that he didn't see the pain on the rabbit's face for a brief moment, Judy was learning from a master but her own masks weren't perfect yet, especially around Nick.

"Nah, I'm not one for dating" Judy felt her chest uncoil itself at his words "besides, being your partner is a full-time job, I don't have the time to go seeing someone else as well" now Judy could feel the heat rising up her ears.

"I was thinking about using it to buy my apartment" said Nick slowly "the place means a lot to me, and it's in a convenient spot. I could use the rest of the money to do it up nice"

"That's a great idea!" Nick jumped at the enthusiasm in Judy's voice "You have to do it, just wait till the look on Noct's face when he sees it all brand new and fancy"

Nick sniggered a bit at that, his brother hadn't particularly taken to his apartment on his first visit.

"What about you Judy?" asked Nick.

Judy looked round in surprise, it was rare for Nick to use her actual name "what about me?"

"I was thinking of giving some of the money to you" said Nick looking out the window again.

"When I said find a girl and show her the town I wasn't really thinking about myself" grinned Judy.

 _Yes! Yes I was!_  Her thoughts sang.

"I was thinking more for getting you out of that little closet you call an apartment" said Nick as he tried not to imagine taking Judy out around town "I mean, I'm fairly sure an apartment needs more than one room"

"I can't do that Nick" said Judy softly "There's too much history surrounding that money, I'd be intruding. Besides I'm only in that place to sleep, I go around to yours if I want other facilities, like a sofa"

"Judy, I-"

"Nick" interrupted Judy calmly but firmly "I won't take that money, you use it to make your apartment amazing, not like I won't benefit from that"

The fox could see the determination in her beautiful purple eyes and knew that he wouldn't get his way. He settled back in his chair with a sigh.

 _Wait a minute_  he thought as a sly grin slowly emerged on his face  _let's try a different angle. What if I… you know, that might work…_

The fox had a plan, one that the more he thought about the better it seemed, the gears in his head turned as everything seemed to fall into place perfectly. He was just running some sums in his head as they arrived at the precinct. He was going through his mental list of contacts about who might owe him a favour or two as they walked in through the main doors. And he was starting to make some basic designs in his head when there was an ear crushing, excited squeal that knocked all that out of his mind.

* * *

 

Judy could see that Nick was preoccupied with something but she could also see that he was in a much better mood so she left him to it. As they entered the precinct she once more saw two familiar animals. Lunette was early again and stood chatting to Clawhauser, if anything Judy thought they were getting on even better than she'd seen last time. Judy headed towards them and, as always, was spotted by Benjy almost immediately. He may only be a desk officer now but nothing went in or out of the department without Clawhauser knowing about it.

She could see the warning signs, the little wiggle he made, the twitch of his tail as the tip started to curl up. Hurriedly Judy jammed her fingers in her very sensitive ears before the sonic catastrophe could happen. Clawhauser squealed in joy just as he did every day when he saw Nick and Judy arrive together. Next to her Nick looked like a foghorn had just gone off by his ear and Lunette was gingerly massaging the side of her head.

Judy left Nick recovering and stepped up to the desk "Morning Benjy, Lunette" the rabbit greeted.

A twinkle that Judy had grown to dread appeared on the cheetah's face.

"It was Wednesday yesterday" said Clawhauser slowly "Soooo, how was Movie Night?"

Judy had just known he was going to ask about that because he asked that question every Thursday morning.

 _This is the first time where you've actually realised you have feelings for Nick though_  Judy thought feeling herself to start to blush already  _is that going to make all this more or less embarrassing?_

"Movie Night?" asked Lunette to Clawhauser before Judy could respond.

"Oh, Nick and Judy have a Movie Night every Wednesday" explained the cheetah "not that they don't spend most of their time with each other anyway"

Judy was about to refute Benjamin's statement, they didn't spend most of their time together… okay maybe they did but even so. However before she could do so, Judy's worst nightmare, one that she didn't even know she had until this precise moment, occurred before her very eyes.

A twinkle and a grin that the doe had only ever seen on Clawhauser slowly appeared on Lunette's face as the wolf turned back to look at Judy.

"Soooo, how was Movie Night?" asked Lunette perfectly mirroring the cheetah.

Judy had been steadily working up a blush, however, at this all the blood drained out of her face. Judy's gaze flicked between the two predators staring down at her like a, well, a rabbit caught in the headlights. Her mouth opened and closed a few times.

"Traitor!" said Judy with a small meep as she ran towards the bull pen.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't tease my partner to death" came a voice, Nick had finally cleared his head of Clawhauser's glass shattering squeal "that's my job"

Suddenly Nick found himself under the same scrutinising gaze that Judy had just been subjected to. The fox however was far better at keeping cool and Clawhauser scowled because he knew he wouldn't get anything out of Nick. Lunette and Nick had to move anyway or they would be late for briefing.

"You and Benjy seem to be getting along well" said Nick as they walked.

"Oh we just found some common ground to talk about" said the wolf with a grin.

"Well, that's all well and good" said Nick "but I really wouldn't push Carrots much more than this, never seen colour  _leave_  her face while dealing with Clawhauser"

"I'll bear that in mind" Lunette laughed lightly "perhaps you should sit next to your partner this morning rather than me"

Nick agreed that was probably for the best, Lunette chose a seat out of the way near the door as Nick walked down the aisle towards his partner.

"You okay Fluff?" he asked concernedly as he jumped up onto the seat next to her "Not seen Benjy get to you like that before"

Judy was slumped face first onto the desk and didn't bother to raise her head to reply "I can deal with one mammal looking at me like that, not two, it's like my entire personal life is on display in front of them"

By the time Chief Bogo arrived Judy had recovered enough to be sat up professionally in her chair. Judy, Lunette and Nick all knew what they were doing today though they were a little surprised when Bogo didn't say anything about their assignment. They waited till all the other officers had filed out to do their jobs.

"The hospital phoned this morning" began the Chief as he tidied up his paperwork "The boy is awake, but there are some complications"

"How so sir?" asked Nick, he was genuinely worried about the Jackal pup.

"The initial tests are back, whatever was in his system was Night-howler serum but it was mixed with a multitude of other drugs and chemicals. I'm afraid this cocktail of drugs may have left permanent… side-effects on the boy's body. I want a detailed report about his condition, you will need to consult the doctors in charge of him."

Chief Bogo watched the three officers in front of him salute and leave in a hurry. He went to rub his forehead when he realised he didn't have a headache. Whatever had happened over the past few days, Officer Wilde had been on excellent behaviour. Chief Bogo sighed, he knew it wouldn't last.

* * *

 

It had taken them about half an hour to get the keys from Clawhauser, drive to the hospital, park and deal with the hospital reception. The three officers were now following along behind a Dr Hinckley, a lioness in medical overalls.

"The stuff that was in the pup's bloodstream was essentially a pile of garbage" the doctor said as she led the way through the corridors of the hospital "there was definitely  _Midnicampum holicithias_ , Night Howlers, however the sheer quantity of different chemicals also present are the obvious explanation for why the boy was still somewhat rational despite being savage"

Dr Hinckley stopped in front of one of the private rooms but gestured for the others to wait first.

"It was a miracle that you found him when you did, and the decision to sedate him was the best one that could have been made, if he had been left in that state for much longer his body would have simply shut down. The mishmash of drugs that he was under has left a terrible strain on his body, one that we are unsure as to what the effects will be or how long lasting"

Nick could feel his heart leap into his throat and Judy's left foot was thumping the floor rapidly as it did when she was stressed.

"Would it be okay if I went with you Dr Hinckley?" asked Lunette "I never actually met the boy in person so he may be rather unnerved by my presence" she turned to Nick and Judy when the lioness nodded "You can get a statement from Asra and I'll get the details on his condition from the hospital"

Nick and Judy nodded as well, the wolf was a good colleague to have on a case. Nick watched the two females disappear down the corridor before turning his attention to the door. Judy placed a paw on his side reassuringly and Nick took a deep breath as he pushed the door open.

Inside was a stereotypical hospital room, sterile colour scheme, TV up in one corner of the room, nothing else other than the bed, a dresser and a few chairs. Asra was sat up in the bed, although it seemed designed for a larger animal as the pillow was bigger than he was. He had his eyes closed but he wasn't asleep and stirred as the two officers entered. The boy had been very on edge since he'd woken up. He no longer had those horrible feelings and the doctors told him that he wasn't savage anymore. But Asra wasn't really a people person and hospitals in particular made him uneasy. So when he recognised the two police officers who walked in he felt calmer than he had done in a long while.

"Mr Wilde, Miss Hopps" said the jackal happily "thank you for saving me yesterday"

Nick felt a burst of pride in his chest.

 _So this is what it's like to save someone_  Nick thought to himself  _I'll need to say thanks to Noct again at some point_

"We're just glad to see that you're okay" said Nick in the same voice he'd used to calm the pup down the day before.

Nick and Judy pulled up two of the chairs and sat down next to the bed by Asra so they could get a good look at him. There didn't seem to be any major injuries on him, no casts or heavy-duty bandages, there were a couple of plasters on his face and arms but that was it. There was only one thing truly noteworthy about the pup's appearance and when they saw it Nick and Judy let out a small, collective gasp.

Asra's right eye was still in the slit like shape that seemed to represent savageness while his left had returned to normal.

"Your eye" said Judy softly, her heart clenching at the sight "are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now" said Asra smiling weakly "it was a bit of a surprise when I saw a mirror, I, I thought you might be afraid though"

"We've seen real savage animals Asra" said Nick looking him straight in the eye without any reaction showing on the fox's face "just because your eye is a bit different, it doesn't mean anything, what was scary was seeing those eyes without any light in them"

"Savage animals lose their reasoning, they can't think properly Asra" explained Judy "it's the animals behind the eyes that were scary, and you certainly do not scare us"

The words meant a lot to Asra, especially coming from the famous Judy Hopps, he started to cry quietly. He hadn't noticed how worried he was about being seen as a monster since he'd first looked in a mirror.

"You'll be fine Asra" said Nick with a smirk "in fact, I bet once you grow up the ladies will be all over you with that eye of yours"

Judy glared at him slightly disapprovingly but it got a chuckle out of Asra so she let it go.

"We're going to need to ask you a few questions Asra" said Judy as she took out her notepad and pen "is that okay?" she carried on when she got a nod from the Jackal "first of all, can you remember what happened to you?"

The pup frowned as he thought "It-it's rather blurry" he said slowly "I was out in Sahara Square like normal… then there was someone behind me and then everything was dark"

Nick glanced over at Judy and mouthed 'Kidnapping?', she nodded thoughtfully and made a note.

"I can't remember much after that, it's all flashes, there was light and noise, people talking, and then everything got… worse. Louder sounds, stronger scents, it was driving me crazy. The lights were blinding, the voices seemed to deafen me, I could smell too much. Then I can't remember anything except smelling water. When I came to again I was in a wood and Mr Wilde found me"

Nick's face was expressionless as he read the Jackal in front of him. He'd picked up a few things from the moment he'd met the pup and, combined with what they'd just learnt, he had a horrible idea what had happened.

"Thank you Asra" said Judy smiling warmly "those were all really useful things for us to know. Now I just need a little information about you"

The Jackal looked a little uncomfortable but nodded anyway.

"Your name is Asra Howlings. How old are you Asra?"

"13"

"And where are your parents? Who should we contact about you being here?"

Judy looked up as Nick put his paw on her shoulder and he shook his head. Confused, the bunny let her partner take over.

"It's okay Asra" said Nick slowly "There's nothing wrong with living on the streets" the jackal looked over in surprise, as if the fox had read his mind "I've done it myself in the past, I can recognise the signs" Nick turned to Judy "He's an orphan, living on the streets, you see them all over Zootopia if you look in the right places"

Judy looked over at Asra full of concern as Nick continued.

"Looking at the left-over effects on Asra, I'd say that whatever drug they used on him was still being tested, and there are always mammals that no one will notice if they disappear. Make sure that Bogo looks into missing animals from the poorer districts, though I doubt many will be reported"

Judy nodded and hurriedly added that to her list of notes, so far they had a lot of information that they could use.

"Now I know you're worried about being in a hospital Asra" said Nick carefully as he stood up and approached the Jackal "I was wary of them myself when I was living rough. But you don't need to concern yourself with any of that, we'll cover anything the hospital asks for, and if it comes to it I know someone who can look after you for a while"

Asra still saw the fox as a pillar of support, probably left over from the events yesterday, hearing that he understood what Asra was feeling brought up a well of emotions in the pup. Nick gently wrapped his arms round Asra as the Jackal started sobbing. Judy watched her partner with pride, who said that a mammal couldn't redeem himself, Nick's past let him connect with others in a way that Judy never could. She'd never lived in the dark underbelly of Zootopia, and as much as it pained her to think that Nick had, even this was just something else that her partner could do that she couldn't.

Gradually the crying quietened down and Nick and Judy saw that Asra had drifted off to sleep. They'd noticed his tiredness throughout the whole interview, obviously the drug had taxed his body a lot. Silently they left the room making sure not to wake Asra again, Lunette was standing against the wall waiting for them.

"The report doesn't look good" said the wolf as the three of them set off down the corridor "physically he wasn't too injured externally, the main problem is that he's torn a lot of his muscles. This was similar to the savage animals, the limiters in their brains were effectively switched off by the serum, mammals haven't needed to use the full capabilities of their bodies for thousands of years"

"The other animals recovered from that though, right?" asked Judy worriedly.

"Yes, with proper rehabilitation there were no issues" said Lunette as she checked through her own notes "the worst of it is the drug though. It's based on Night-howlers but there is so much stuff added to it that it's a miracle it didn't kill the pup instantly. The hospital has found traces of heroin, tranquilisers, and a whole load of different chemicals, all mixed in with Night-howlers"

"May I?" asked Nick gesturing at Lunette's notes.

She handed them to the fox who started to leaf through them as Lunette continued.

"The drug, as harsh as it sounds, seemed more like an experiment or so the researchers in the lab said. It certainly made a sane savage animal however the damage it caused far outweighed any use this might have. If you hadn't sedated him when you did he would be dead, simple as"

Judy's ears fell as she clasped her paws to her mouth.

"Even so, his body was on the brink of shutting down, he's very weak right now and we don't know how well he'll recover. On the plus side he's a growing boy which should help somewhat but we also don't know what effect the cocktail of drugs will have on his changing physiology."

"Is there anything they can do about this?" asked Judy as they entered the hospital's reception area.

"Well, the Night-howler antidote helped a lot, and currently they are flushing the boy's system of the rest of the drugs as best they can. Beyond that, they've never seen something like this before so they don't know"

Seeing that Nick was still quiet Judy turned to look at him. The fox was still leafing through the notes Lunette had made with an angry frown on his face.

"Nick?"

It took a few more tries from Judy before they got through to him. Nick looked up to see that they were outside and nearly back at the cruiser.

"Hmm? What's up Carrots?"

"You were rather engrossed with those notes" said Judy with a little smile "we said shall we go get some food before we start patrol… and parking duty for you"

"And I'm paying" said Lunette insistently "I still kind of owe Judy for back with Mr. Big"

"Why that would be wonderful" said Nick smiling "I was getting slightly worried as I've-"

"Forgotten your wallet?" interrupted Judy raising an eyebrow "I've not heard that one before"

"Ouch, you know Carrots, if your sarcasm gets any thicker I'll be able to cut it with a knife"

"Well I think some fox is having a bad influence on me, maybe I should change partners"

"Sly Bunny"

"Dumb Fox"

"… Can we go get some food now?" said Lunette, a twinkle starting to appear in her eyes as she watched the two of them.

Seeing this Judy gulped and leapt into the car.

* * *

 

They finally settled on the place Lunette had spotted the day before. It got Nick's seal of approval which meant it had to be pretty decent. The three of them were now sat in a booth, in an out of the way corner, staring at the menu. Eventually a waitress came to take their order, Nick ordered a cricket omelette and recommended it to Lunette too. Judy shook her head in disbelief, of course Nick would have a recommendation for a diner they picked at random, she had a salad, no onion but extra peppers.

"Any thoughts on our leads so far?" asked Judy while they waited.

"Hmm" said Nick leaning on his elbow "well, we'll definitely need to check out Sahara Square, I'll get an exact location from Asra next time I see him"

"Aw, you going to visit?" asked Judy smiling.

"No one else is" said Nick his smirk looking a bit strained at the moment.

Judy wanted nothing more at that moment than to wrap her arms round him and tell him how wonderful he was and how proud she was of him.

"I don't know how much we'll find though" continued Nick "the kidnappers probably aren't based near where they caught Asra, too easy to be tracked. He talked about the smell of water but that doesn't narrow things down too much"

"True" agreed Judy as their food arrived, she took a quick bite before speaking again "I mean that could be anywhere in the Rainforest District, the Canal District, along the coastline… could even be Tundratown at a pinch"

"You're getting better at this Carrots, have I told you that?"

"Yes, yes you have"

"Still, I think we can rule out Tundratown, Asra ended up in a park on Green Street, Savanna Central, so he had to be within traveling distance for the pup even if he was savage at the time"

"Huh, Sly Fox"

"Now that's something I haven't heard you say in a long time, I'll have to put it in my journal"

Nick looked across the booth from him and Judy to look at Lunette. She hadn't spoken the entire time since they had ordered. She was just watching the two of them. The wolf seemed very good at wearing a mask, almost as good as Nick, most likely from living in Los Antleres the fox surmised. But she was only  _almost_  as good as Nick. It took all the skill he'd honed over his life to find any little tells from her.

"Alright" he asked as he took another mouthful of delicious omelette "What's eating you, Bruma?"

Lunette choked as a bit of omelette when down the wrong way. Judy looked over in concern before glaring at Nick in a 'what did you do' sort of way.

"W-" Lunette took a deep breath to calm her coughing fit "what did you just call me?"

Nick's eyes narrowed, a single word that he'd just thrown out without thinking, and her mask had crumbled. Fear, surprise, joy, sadness, loss… love.

 _Well this is complicated_  the fox thought.

"Bruma" said Nick acting as if nothing major had happened "it means winter in another language" he looked over at Judy "You know me and nicknames"

"Is something wrong Lunette?" Judy asked carefully, she'd seen the sorrow on the wolf's face before "if you want to talk we're here to listen"

"Not that you need to talk about it" Nick butted in "I know a lot about not wanting to talk about things"

The white wolf stared at the two of them for a long while, gradually her expression softened and she took a deep breath.

"Yeah, yeah I guess I can talk about it with you two" she said smirking for just a moment "Bruma is what my mate calls me"

Nick and Judy waited patiently for Lunette to open up, Nick also kept on eating his omelette with a happy grin on his face. Judy elbowed him in the ribs and he tried to act a bit more serious.

"You remember how I told you about my life in Los Antleres, Judy? About how I lost faith in our profession and was just going through the motions. And that I met the Shade and suddenly things started happening again. Well that's only part of the story about how I pulled myself out of that slump" Lunette smiled fondly as she thought back "I met a guy, and he made me see that, while Los Antleres is a terrible place full of terrible people, it still has its good points. It's quite funny really, we met by chance, in the middle of a shootout"

Lunette chuckled at the confused looks on the other two officers "I was on patrol when I found a robbery going on at a supermarket. They were alone but armed, I thought I could take them, unfortunately it turned out they had two friends as well who I hadn't seen. It became chaos, luckily most of the other shoppers had run for cover. There was just one guy standing there, I dove towards him and tackled us both into cover. Bullets started to fly but luckily the shelves were holding up" Lunette laughed lightly to herself "I was about to berate the male for being so stupid but he beat me to it. He looked at me and just said 'beautiful, you're beautiful, would you care for a dance?'"

Nick raised an eyebrow at this as Judy's mouth opened in surprise.

"I was pumped full of adrenaline as bullets landed all around and for some reason I took his hand. It was the most surreal thing I've ever experienced, we danced down the aisles of the supermarket while bullets flew all around us. The robbers were idiots, they holed up by the tills and just kept shooting. They didn't try to flush us out since they outnumbered us nor did they notice no one was shooting back and try to flee. Which meant I just kept dancing till backup finally arrived and took care of the criminals. I went back to talk to the officers who had arrived but my dance partner had gone by the time I finished with all that. I felt a bit sad, that was my first proper dance with a male since I never went to prom or anything like that"

Lunette paused the story to eat some more of her omelette before it went cold, she had to give it to Nick, it was delicious "except that wasn't the end. He went and found me, and this time he meant business. He courted me with a passion, I was a little scared, I'd dated before yes but I'd never met anyone chasing after me with such sincerity before. I asked him why we danced and he just said 'I saw the most beautiful wolf, no, mammal, I had ever seen. With all the danger around I would have died with regrets if we hadn't made it and I hadn't asked you to dance'. I've never met anyone, before or since, who showed me how much they loved me at any given moment. I couldn't help but fall for him in return"

Judy was hugging herself with a huge smile on her face as she listened to her friend's love life.

"Everything was wonderful, I felt like the light I'd lost had returned with him, until I met the Shade. That was when everything started to unravel, my career was put under the grinder but the worst was that he… disappeared" a look of terrible sadness and loss appeared on Lunette's face "One day he just never came home, I searched and searched but there was nothing, no clue, no evidence. It was like he just didn't exist anymore. I love him, still love him, more than anything, he's my mate" small tears started to well up in the corners of her eyes "I just want him back, I want to know why he vanished, was it my fault?…"

Judy's face that had been so happy suddenly fell to almost match the sorrow on the wolf's face. Even Nick was feeling uncomfortably moved by the story, he cleared his throat.

"I- we can only offer an understanding shoulder to lean on" he said with a sad smile "You're not the only one with stories like that" he pointedly ignored the laser sharp stare that a certain grey bunny aimed at him when he said that "It's just… I don't quite get why you were so hesitant to tell us this"

"Los Antleres may be the worst place to live that you could imagine" said Lunette slowly as she dried her eyes "however in some ways, not that I'd ever want to go back there, it's better off than Zootopia. In Los Antleres everyone is in the same pile of garbage, there is literally no discrimination or speciesism. Here in Zootopia, well,  _because_  it is a much better city there are prejudices. In Los Antleres no would care that you were a fox, you could be a cop, a lawyer, whatever. And being a rabbit certainly wouldn't hinder your choice of profession Judy"

Lunette sighed a little and smiled, she looked mostly back to normal "I never, at any point in the story, said that my mate was a wolf, did I?"

Judy's eyes widened at the revelation, she couldn't help glancing swiftly at Nick, something Lunette caught with a twinkle in her eye.

"Let's just say that I was a dog and he was a cat" said the wolf carefully "I-I'm sorry but I don't really want to go any further into this"

Judy wiggled down from her seat, vanished under the table and reappeared next to Lunette. The rabbit wrapped her arms around the wolf and pulled her into a hug like a vice. Lunette couldn't quite believe the force the bunny was capable of putting out. 'I can't move, my ribs are breaking' she mouthed at Nick across the table. The fox gave her a sympathetic smile and the slight pain in his eyes showed that he understood exactly what Lunette was going through.

 


	11. Chapter 11

Nick Wilde, hustler extraordinaire, first police fox in Zootopia, had a lot on his mind. This week had been a bit ridiculous, almost as jammed packed as those few days working on the Night-howler and missing mammal cases with Judy. And with so much to think about Nick found himself enjoying the calmness of parking duty again. Although today the fox decided to avoid going anywhere near any parks.

Nick smirked slightly as he slapped another ticket on an overdue car. He'd gotten more use out of his emotions over the past year, and especially the last week, than in the previous 17 years he'd been in Zootopia. His brother had returned.

 _I still have some more information I need to get out of Noct_  thought the fox.

There was all this mess surrounding Asra and this crazy new drug. Nick had a very bad feeling about the whole situation, it was one of the main things he needed to talk to Noct about, this was far too familiar to the two of them.

He'd been split from his partner who was now working alongside Lunette. Thankfully that was only temporary. And Nick was fairly certain that he'd be able to make it up to Judy again. Although he needed to talk to Noct about that too, it would be a bit trickier to pull off the plan in his head without his brother's help.

Nick sighed, it was just like back when he was still part of Broken Clockwork, everything boiled down to him and Noct.

Nick turned back and sat down on a bench he had just walked past, the street was almost empty of other mammals, and pulled out his phone. The fox grimaced as he stared at the blank screen for a long time before he finally opened the device. He flicked through his contacts to the newest one he had. At some point while they were getting drunk he'd gotten Noct's number again. Nick had long since deleted the old one so as not to remind himself of his brother's absence.

Nick closed his eyes and hit dial, holding the phone to his ear as he waited for Noct to pick up.

"This is Gear 1 speaking" said Nick when the call finally went through "Come in Gear 2… Hehe, I thought you might have forgotten that for a second… Look, I'm… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so stubborn and… What do you mean you aren't mad anymore! I had a whole spiel lined up ready to melt your heart! Wanker... Typical, though I guess this makes things a bit easier… look a lot of stuff has happened, and I need your expertise for some of it, your  _family's_  expertise… Yeah, it doesn't look good… Listen, there's too much to go through over the phone on a public street and I also thought that since we haven't seen Finnick yet… yeah, I was thinking Moonlight… tomorrow? Sounds good, 6-ish? I don't want another repeat of last time even if it is a Friday night… yeah I know but still, don't worry I'll talk to Finnick at some point, not like he'll be busy anyway… alright,  _te videre_ "

Nick put the phone down and sighed, Noct always managed to run rings around him, of course Nick could do the same thing right back. The fox grinned as he thought of how to do just that.

* * *

 

A puff of smoke was blown through the open window of the moving minivan where it was whipped away in the slipstream. Cherry tapped the last of the ash out the window before tossing the rest of the butt out as well. She was bored, the otter had never liked long journeys unless she was walking, and this trip was pretty long. Fizz was at the wheel as they drove through Savanna Central. Like most mammals on the wrong side of the law, who possessed a certain amount of intelligence, the cougar knew the quietest routes that would attract the least attention.

Neither of the two wanted to make this trip but they were fairly high up in the hierarchy so it was their responsibility to go visit the boss. Not for the first time did Cherry wish she was just some grunt at the bottom of the pecking order. But no, she had to be the best 'delivery girl' in the Canal and Rainforest Districts, she was a transporter of sorts. Fizz, she glanced over at the slightly aging cougar, managed the Canal District branch. He was a whizz with money and numbers, said he was an accountant at one point. But he ended up in the wrong crowd, drank the wrong drinks, took the wrong drugs. He looked a lot older than he actually was, 29 but looked in his late 50's, and his hoarse voice only added to the image. Cherry was 21 and looked her age causing quite a contrast between the two of them.

They'd worked together for four years while the gang had been small time. They got by because they were good at what they did. Then about six months ago their organisation had a change of management. It was quite the hostile takeover, thankfully the two of them were useful enough and low enough on the ladder to not be affected. Gang's absorbing other gangs and that sort of thing were common occurrences. It wasn't the first time Cherry and Fizz had woken up one morning to find they worked for someone new. But this new boss? And the guys he brought with him?

Cherry shuddered a little at the thought and looked back out of the window. The new boss had set up shop in Sahara Square but the gang had branches in every district apart from Tundratown, Mr. Big had too much influence there for others to muscle in on his turf. So Fizz obviously wasn't going to drive through the wintery area if he could help it. Downtown had too heavy a police presence as well. Which is why they had driven all the way down from the Canal District to Savanna Central and were now heading east towards Sahara Square.

Thinking about where they were headed Cherry grimaced and pulled out another cigarette.

"You know you should really cut back on those" rasped Fizz not looking away from the road "or you'll end up sounding like me"

"Fuck off Fizz" scowled Cherry lighting up "you know exactly why I need this right now"

"Yeah yeah, relax, I always do all the talking"

"Still doesn't mean I want to be there"

Fizz sighed as the vehicle descended into silence again. He knew exactly what she meant, he didn't want the otter coming either, but this was something the boss wanted. Not for the first time Fizz wondered if they had managed to get in too deep. Their gang had always been small, low in importance to the fuzz, they mostly did minor crimes. But now? Well, they still hadn't committed anything major but the new boss was expanding. And then there was that drug.

Cherry switched on the aircon as they crossed the border into Sahara Square. Knowing that Fizz would get annoyed with the smoke, Cherry hurriedly finished off the cigarette and tossed it out into the sand before rolling up the window. The blessed coolness soon filled the minivan as they headed for the coast. About half an hour later shimmering blue appeared in their views.

They had arrived at a small resort town, it was known as the Sandy Beaches, not the most original name but it captured the reason behind the place. There were very few houses, not many people lived out in the Beaches, the majority of the buildings were for tourists and holiday goers. There were bars, cafes, restaurants, shops, anything a mammal out for a day at the seaside might want. No hotels though, the Sandy Beaches was too small scale for that. The biggest building around was a nightclub called Blue Tide and it was here that Fizz pulled up the minivan.

"Alright" said the cougar reaching behind his seat for the package "let's get this over with"

Cherry just nodded and got out of the vehicle too. They walked up to the double doors that led into the club and pushed them open. As their eyes adjusted to the dark inside they could see the familiar layout of the club. It was well decorated and designed, plenty of dancing space, lots of quiet booths and corners, lots of access to the bars. There weren't any patrons at the moment, far too early for that, and Cherry and Fizz got a few glances from the few staff inside. Seeing the direction they were walking in though, the staff all went back to whatever they were doing.

Fizz led the way into the back of the club, towards the back where there were staff only doors. Picking one out of the many doors Fizz knocked twice. The door opened a peep, just enough for whoever was there to see Fizz and Cherry without being seen themselves. After a few moments, the door opened properly and a black bear stepped out of the way for them to go through. Nobody said anything as the otter and cougar headed further into the bowels of the building.

They were in a maintenance corridor with various utility rooms coming off it. This wasn't what they were here for though, right at the end of the corridor was a stairwell. Cherry couldn't help clenching her fists as it came into view. Fizz glanced across but didn't say anything, he just led the way down the stairs.

 _Is this what it's like to go to hell?_ thought Cherry as they descended.

At the bottom of the stairs, two flights down, there was another door. This one had a pair of wolves standing guard in front though. They obviously recognised Cherry and Fizz and respectfully opened the door for them to pass. The two did get  _some_  respect from other gang members, even if it was only the grunts.

Loud, base heavy music could be heard the moment the door was opened and Cherry and Fizz stepped out into what seemed to be another nightclub. The layout was very similar to the upstairs however there were some key differences. Upstairs the theme was blue and there was a more open feel to the place. Down here though, dull red light shone everywhere there wasn't a deep shadow and smoke filled the room. Cherry tried to hold her breath as much as possible, that smoke wasn't from plain old cigarettes.

The other difference was that, while the upstairs club was empty, downstairs was packed full of animals. They were clustered together in groups all over the place. Most of them didn't even noticed the two newcomers, in fact they didn't look to be in a state to notice much of anything. Many had a glazed look on their faces, some happy, some scared. Who knew what sort of thing they were high on.

This place was a den for drug users and dealers, nearly everyone here was on some sort of drug. All the mammals near the door and around the edges of the large room however were just normal druggies. There were dangers being around them sure but Fizz and Cherry could look after themselves. If that was the only problem they wouldn't have any issues coming to visit the boss.

Across the completely empty dance floor there was a divide in the room. None of the normal criminals and addicts dared to cross it. On the other side was a series of booths and sofas that made up the boss's territory.

As Cherry and Fizz approached two figures walked out of the shadows to intercept them. They were two wolves, like those guarding the door outside, but these two were completely different. These two carried a dangerous air around them, one you wouldn't get without seeing bloody combat multiple times, but that wasn't the worst. The wolves growled quietly as two pairs of slit shaped eyes stared down at the cougar and the otter.

A low roar came from further back in the gloom and the two wolves backed off. Cherry and Fizz carefully advanced towards the largest booth in the middle of the back wall. Their every move was under constant scrutiny as more and more feral eyes appeared in the shadows, from nearby booths and couches. Hiding their fear, the two of them finally reached the coach where their boss was reclining.

He was a lion called Rennie Lamane, big even for a lion, dressed in a white silk shirt and trousers. A very scantily clad, beautiful young female cheetah was hanging off his right arm. A polar bear stood at either end of his couch on guard, staring down at the two visitors with savage eyes. Rennie Lamane looked on at Cherry and Fizz with his own slit like eyes for a long moment, his gaze lingering on the otter, before he spoke.

"Dusk… it's not quite Night… a drug that makes your instincts come alive" the lion spoke in a deep but eloquent voice "It opens the mind to what we used to be, what we could be, what we are deep inside…"

The lion traced a claw down the back of the cheetah as he said this eliciting a moan. Cherry glanced at the girl briefly, the slit shaped pupils that seemed a bit vacant, the shivering. This was obviously the first time the cheetah had ever taken Dusk, Cherry had seen it before, the boss liked to toy around with girls who were overwhelmed by the sudden rush of sensation the drug caused.

"So, tell me" continued Rennie "What is this month's report from the Canals and the Rainforest?"

"Work has continued as standard" began Fizz respectfully "since we started to distribute Dusk last month profits have risen by ten percent" the lion nodded approvingly "as with any new drug on the market, especially one like this, I predict this will only increase exponentially"

Fizz produced the package that contained the money to be passed on. A black rabbit buck in a suit walked out of one of the booths. Even this bunny gave off a feeling of savagery that Cherry and Fizz had grown to recognise as Dusk.

"Excellent" said Rennie running his paw down the Cheetah's flanks "Now how have the experiments been going? Dusk is wonderful, and more importantly it is stable… however, it's effects are too weak, we need… more"

"This is the latest lab report" said Fizz handing a sheaf of papers to the black rabbit who then disappeared back into the shadows "Dr Ramstein says that things are progressing to plan, he mentioned that there was some promise with one of the batches. On the other paw, the more extreme experiment he carried out ended in failure. While it showed good results the side effects were far too much"

"Oh, good results how?" asked the lion biting the cheetah's ear lightly causing her to melt into his side.

"The guinea pig was a young Jackal however he managed to break free and escape the lab"

"A child managed to escape from Ramstein? Interesting, why did he say it was a failure then?"

"Dr Ramstein managed to gather some data before" the cougar paused to clear his throat, coughing lightly "before the pup escaped and what he gathered showed that the experiment had put too much of a strain on the boy's body. Even if he escaped he was still going to die within 24 hours"

"Hmm, tell Ramstein to keep looking in to that data, we might be able to work something out of it"

Cherry couldn't help but shudder at the look on the lion's face.

"Cherry" said Rennie leering at the otter unreservedly "Have you given any thought to my offer?"

Cherry trembled in place, her pierced ears flat against her head, she was too afraid to talk but she obviously had to. The hundreds of slit shaped eyes in the dark gazing down at her started to make her panic.

"Sir" said Fizz quietly "while I obviously have nothing to say against you, I feel that I should point out that Cherry is the best transporter we have in the Canals and the Rainforest. If she were to move to attend you here at Blue Tide then, even if we get the next best person, I'm afraid our profits may drop by up to 35 percent"

The cougar was sweating profusely, he could see the displeasure on his boss's face quickly rising. Thankfully, once he mentioned the losses they would make, Rennie relaxed and looked only a little disgruntled. If there was one thing that the cougar had a reputation for in the gang, it was working with numbers, if he said 35 percent then it was 35 percent.

"You really are very good at your job" Rennie said staring intently at Cherry "Both of you are" the lion snapped his fingers.

The black rabbit in a suit returned this time carrying a much smaller package which he handed to Fizz.

"You two can take this as a token of my appreciation, your district is the one that runs the smoothest and I know that I have you two to thank for that"

With that the lion waved for them to leave before turning his attention back to the quivering cheetah beside him. Cherry and Fizz gave their thanks and left as calmly and respectfully as they could. Even when they were out of that red lit hell and were climbing back up the stairs, they still didn't relax in the slightest. Not till they left the nightclub itself and climbed back into the minivan could they let everything collapse.

Cherry started taking deep gasps of air, she knew exactly what the boss wanted from her when he had made that offer. She thought about the poor cheetah, trapped in her own senses and instincts, at the mercy of that lion. Cherry started trembling again, the sheer pressure that the boss and his people made when they were on Dusk was terrifying.

Fizz started the minivan as best he could, his hands were shaking terribly, but they needed to get as far away as possible as fast as possible. He opened the windows to feel the air flowing, even with the heat and sand, and it helped to calm him a bit. Savage eyes appeared in his mind as he pulled back out onto the single road that lead to and from the Sandy Beaches and he shivered sending the minivan swerving slightly.

"W-what did the boss give us?" he asked to try and distract Cherry.

Nervously the otter picked up the package from where Fizz had dumped it and she opened it up. Inside, surrounded by lots of padding, were two vials full of liquid. It was a deep, bloody orange like a setting sun and seemed to flow like oil within the vials. The moment Cherry saw it she was filled with dread.

"Fizz, Fizz, they gave us Dusk! What are we gonna do?!"

The cougar jerked the wheel at her words, nearly sending them off the road and started to swear heavily. Looking over he saw the vials and felt a coldness run through him.

"Dump it!" he said quickly "now! Before we leave the desert, throw it into the dunes"

Nodding Cherry closed the package up again and hurled it out of the open window as hard as she could. The package flew over a ridge and disappeared from view, the ever-shifting sands of Sahara Square would bury it within minutes. With the drug gone Cherry felt herself relax a little and everything came crashing down. She curled up into a ball on her seat and started to sob.

Fizz looked down at her sadly, thinking again that maybe they were in too deep. He placed a shaking paw on her shoulder briefly before he turned back to driving, getting them back to the Canal District safely came first right now.

* * *

 

Parking duty, as always, seemed to go on forever. It didn't help that it appeared to be a popular Thursday for criminals. Nick kept hearing report after report over the radio from other officers and all the action, and his lack of, was wearing on him.

He was very thankful when his shift came to an end and he could return to the precinct.

 _Nearly done_  Nick thought as he headed for Mrs Ivory to hand in his equipment  _one more day and you can be back on the beat with Judy_

He was a little sad that he didn't see any sign of her while he was in the precinct, understandable though, it'd be quite the coincidence if they just happened to go off duty at the same time. Nick convinced himself he felt that way because, without her, he'd have to walk home. A five to ten minute drive in the morning equated to about a forty minute walk and even before he started Nick could feel himself starting to flag.

The fox was barely managing to drag his feet when he finally made it to his apartment. He made some sort of attempt at waving at Donald who just raised an eyebrow and didn't say anything.

 _I think this is the first time I've wished there was an elevator_  thought Nick as he stopped for the second time as he climbed the stairs.

The sight of his apartment door was very welcome by the time he reached his floor. Struggling slightly to open the door, Nick headed straight for the bathroom discarding his clothes along the way. He was too tired to even care about the finicky shower controls and just stood there in the cold as the water warmed up. A nice hot shower did wonders for the soul and Nick found himself perking up a bit. He considered just staying in the shower all evening but he also knew that the hot water would run out eventually. He dragged himself out of the shower with a groan and went to dry off.

Nick had just finished getting washed and changed into t-shirt and shorts and was about to go collapse onto the sofa when the someone knocked on the door of his apartment. He wanted to get angry at the person who had just interrupted him actually getting some rest however he recognised that knock. It was one that he heard extremely often and it came from about halfway down the door.

With a sigh Nick stumbled on over to the door and opened it to reveal Judy, she was wearing a blue t-shirt and black leggings.

"Come on in Fluff" said Nick tiredly as he got out the way.

Judy watched as the tod staggered back to the sofa and collapsed onto it. She stepped inside and closed the door properly behind her before walking into the living room as well. Nick had turned the TV on and was idly flicking through the channels. Judy just watched him for a few moments before she hopped up onto the sofa next to him. With how tired he looked, Judy just wanted to lay him down in her lap and cuddle him… but she couldn't.

They didn't say anything, the TV muttered quietly in the background, the two were just happy to sit in each other's company for a while. Judy breathed deeply, Nick had just showered and he smelled of blueberries, of course Nick Wilde would have blueberry scented shampoo. But there was also an underlying scent of fox mixed in with it, the combination seemed heavenly to Judy, it just seemed so… Nick-ish.

Nick on the other hand was doing slightly better, he was  _really_  tired, which made it a bit easier for him not to stare at how form fitting Judy's leggings were. The day hadn't been particularly strenuous, it was only parking duty after all, but the fox had a feeling that it was just the crazy week catching up with him.

He wasn't  _so_  tired however that he couldn't guess what Judy wanted.

"Alright Carrots" he yawned slightly "I'll talk, I'll talk"

"Are you sure?" asked Judy frowning at him "you seem shattered, we can leave it for another time"

The fox stretched his arms out and cricked his neck a few times.

"Nah it's okay" said Nick perking up a bit "so what do you want to ask me?"

Judy put a finger on her chin as she thought, eventually she decided on what she tried to ask that morning. She shuffled across the sofa till she was leaning against his side.

"What's Broken Clockwork?" she asked looking up at him with those shining, purple eyes.

Nick stiffened slightly as Judy leant against him but, looking down at her, he relaxed and shifted slightly, putting an arm round the bunny. Judy screamed for joy inside her head at this as she felt surrounded by Nick.

"Broken Clockwork is a couple of things" said Nick trying to figure out where he should start "When you heard me and Noct mention it,  _that_  Broken Clockwork referred to our job. Broken Clockwork was, is, the name of an… agency"

"And this is how you earned" Judy counted on her fingers "one and a half million Zootopian Dollars?"

"One and a half?" Nick frowned slightly "oh, you mean the cash we had in the duffel bags. That was just spending money, most of Broken Clockwork's assets are either invested in various projects or stored in about seven different banks"

"You mean there's more?" asked Judy incredulously "what the hell did you two do for a living?"

"We… did various things, fixed things, Jack-of-all-trades sort of deal" Nick could tell the bunny wasn't buying it "Broken Clockwork dealt with the highest echelons of Zootopia, the richest and most powerful, that's why we made so much money. I was the front man, I dealt with the clients, I picked the jobs. We had a conscience you know, I wouldn't choose any jobs that physically harmed others, avoided children and the elderly unless it was to help them. We would be hired to do things like destroy blackmail material and things like that"

"Illegal things?" asked Judy quietly grabbing onto Nick's shirt.

"Probably" said Nick with a sigh "Nobody can catch Noct though so it doesn't matter, that guy did all the actual work. We were under Mr. Big's protection at this point which meant a lot, plus, we were useful, too useful for anyone to come after us. Hell, the person we targeted often came in the next day as a client. I… I like to think that we were doing good, keeping the city a bit balanced"

Judy was silent as she took all this in.

_So Nick was more than a hustler once_

_Way more! This sounds extremely illegal!_

_But it's Nick, you know he wouldn't do anything really bad_

_Just think of it like him being a modern-day Robin Hood_

The image of Nick in that classic green outfit with the hat and a bow appeared in Judy's mind. She found it equal parts funny and attractive and couldn't help but giggle. Nick looked down at her questioningly.

"Sorry" said Judy smiling "just thinking to myself. So you did sneaky jobs for the rich and famous. No-nobody ever… died, right?" she asked her smile straining, the hope in her eyes screaming at Nick.

Nick could literally feel his walls and armour melting under the bunny's gaze.

"No!" he almost shouted as he wrapped his other arm round Judy as well, pulling her to his chest "Never! That is Noct's cardinal rule, and mine as well, any job like that was instantly disqualified. Our clients knew our principles."

Judy felt a wave of relief wash over her, she was glad that the Nick she knew obviously hadn't changed much from then. She also enjoyed being wrapped in Nick's embrace and snuggled into his chest happily. Much to the rabbit's disappointment Nick eventually let go but Judy stayed cuddled next to him as he continued.

"The other meaning behind Broken Clockwork is literally Noct and myself. Before we set up the agency we were under Mr. Big's wing, one of his subordinates kept an eye on us kids. People would call our names" Nick grinned sleepily as he looked down at the doe nestled next to him "Nick, Noct, Nick, Noct, Nick, Noct, Nick, Noct, what does that sound like to you?"

"It sounds like… 'tick, tock'?" enlightenment dawned on Judy's face "broken clockwork?"

"Right" said Nick "it's just a nickname people had for us. But we liked it, we…" Nick yawned again "we thought it fit…"

Judy could see that the fox was struggling to stay awake now.

"I'll head home" she said gently as she sadly disentangled herself "you need to get some rest"

"You could stay" said Nick tiredly.

Judy froze, she wasn't sure if she heard what she thought she heard. Had Nick noticed? Was he actually asking her to stay the night? She started to flush and was too shocked to say yes like she wanted to.

"I'll be going out to see Noct tomorrow evening so I won't be around" continued the fox.

Judy felt both incredibly disappointed and extremely relieved that she had misunderstood Nick's words.

_Of course he wouldn't mean it like that you dumb bunny_

"I-I'll get going" said Judy a little hastily "you make sure you get some sleep"

She hurriedly fled the apartment, Nick was obviously shattered as he didn't notice any of her embarrassment. Judy wanted to keep it that way.

"Night Carrots" said Nick to the empty room, he hadn't even noticed the doe leave.

There was a patch of warmth that smelled of Judy next to him on the sofa. Nick knew he wouldn't make it to his bed and was strangely drawn to the scent. He curled up on the sofa with his tail wrapped round him and was asleep before his head hit the cushions.

 


	12. Chapter 12

The Grand Pangolin Arms, while tall, was nowhere near as grand as its name claimed it was. Judy had learnt all that first-hand the moment she had moved in. Still, her tiny room on the fourth floor was everything she'd hoped for. It was so… different from the family home back in Bunnyburrow and that was exactly what Judy had wanted.

The moon was currently high in the sky and mammals everywhere were deep asleep. Judy was no exception, she was clutching one of her pillows to her chest and seemed to be having a nice dream.

"Nooo" she mumbled in her sleep grabbing the pillow tighter "Nick, you can't, we're on patrol…"

The bunny rolled over, a happy expression plastered on her sleeping face.

Outside her window, red eyes gleamed in the night… and the Shade watched.

* * *

 

Nick stirred from where he was twisted on the sofa, his back was crying out from how he'd been sleeping and his mouth felt full of fuzz. Groaning he checked his phone and then groaned louder when he saw that it was gone two in the morning.

The fox stumbled to his feet and walked into the kitchen. Nick fumbled for a glass and hurriedly filled it with water. Taking a deep gulp to clear his mouth out, he refilled the glass again and headed for his bedroom. Hopefully his body wouldn't ache in the morning. Taking another, smaller sip of water this time, Nick put the glass down on the bedside table and slumped onto the mattress. He slowly got comfortable and pulled the covers around himself but something felt a little off.

_Ah… it doesn't… smell like…_

Zzzzzz

The Fox was soon out like a light once more. Out in the living room silent paws lifted up a panel from part of the flooring. Red eyes stared down at a duffel bag hidden there for a long moment before simply replacing the panel again.

"Judy" came a mumble from the bedroom… and the Shade listened.

* * *

 

Mondara Bogo was a family mammal. His wife and daughter meant the world to him even more so than his job and city. They lived in a simple but nice two-story house in one of the more pleasant suburbs of Savanna Central. Currently the cape buffalo was staring at the ceiling of his bedroom. His wife was breathing softly beside him and her comforting presence was normally enough for Mondara to drift off to sleep himself.

Something didn't feel right. With a quiet snort, he climbed out of bed being careful not to disturb his wife. She rolled over in bed but didn't wake at his absence. He gently kissed her forehead before leaving the room. First the buffalo headed for his daughter's bedroom. She was safely asleep in her bed, though she'd managed to throw the covers all over the place. Mondara scanned the room carefully, making sure nothing was out of place, he checked the closet and under the bed. Only when he relaxed did he readjust the covers on his daughter, tucking her back in.

Though most of his worries had been eased the buffalo still patrolled the rest of the house. He didn't need a weapon; his powerfully muscled body was more than enough to deal with any intruders. He had been a cop for a long time, working his way up to Chief of Police, and his finely tuned senses hadn't deteriorated in the slightest even though he was no longer out on the streets. Right now, he felt one of the worst things… that he wasn't alone.

However, after sweeping the entire house there was nothing to find. Mondara frowned, he always trusted his instincts but at the same time he was an animal that relied on facts and evidence. And he saw nothing out of the ordinary. With another snort, he decided he was probably imagining things.

 _Still_ he thought as he headed back to his bedroom  _better to be too alert than not alert enough_.

As he shut the door to his bedroom behind him and went back to bed, a pair of red eyes gleamed out on the landing near the stairwell… and the Shade watched.

* * *

 

The current mayor was a red deer stag called Reginald Exmoor. While he was a bit pompous he was nowhere near the level of Mayor Lionheart. Mayor Exmoor did an excellent job preventing the city from falling to pieces in the aftermath of the Night-howler case. The stag believed very much in the worth of a mammal rather than the worth of their species. His accepting attitude and eloquent speeches went a long way to help Judy Hopps' example for predator and prey to get along.

Now his first year in office was about three quarters done and Mayor Exmoor's popularity had only risen. He was quite the exercise nut and strongly believed in bettering himself. He could often be found taking jogs around Downtown near City Hall. If anything, this simply appeared to make him more down to earth with his voters. He was certainly more popular than the previous two mayors.

Currently Reginald was still in City Hall, the annual parade was coming up soon and there was a lot of work to do. The stag was often thankful that he was single, with the amount of late nights he pulled he'd hate to be his significant other. In fact, the stag had installed a camping bed in one corner of his office just for nights such as this. The moon was high in the sky as he put down the sheaf of papers he was reading through.

Mayor Exmoor stretched as he stood up, he'd done enough for one day, so there was only one last thing to do. Walking to the corner where his bed was located there were a series of dumbbells leaning against the wall. Just wanting to stretch a bit before he went to sleep the stag picked two of the lighter ones. Holding them straight out at arms-length, he began twisting and bending his body, making sure to stretch out all the aches that came from being sat behind a desk for so long.

After about ten minutes Mayor Exmoor felt that he had had enough. Putting the dumbbells back where he found them he took off his suit trousers and hung them with his jacket which had long since been removed. Slumping onto the little camping bed that he slept in more often than not, the mayor was quickly dead to the world.

Silent paws and red eyes leafed through the papers on the mayor's desk without making a sound… and the Shade watched.

* * *

 

Judy woke up bright and early as she always did. She stretched and looked down at the pillow she was still clutching. Judy didn't normally sleep like this however ever since she had realised her feelings for Nick she found her bed feeling rather empty. Her mind drifted back to when he had wrapped her up in his embrace, feeling the soft fur of his chest and the heat. She wanted that again.

Judy shook her head a few times to clear out any dangerous thoughts, she had to get ready. Her morning routine was well engrained now and she was dressed and ready for the day in fifteen minutes. One of the best things about being up so early was that no one else in the Grand Pangolin Arms was. The blessed silence was a rare commodity in the apartment complex, especially for Judy given who her neighbours were.

Judy quietly went downstairs and let herself out. Taking out her keys she clambered into her little green car and just sat there for a minute. She was going to go see Nick shortly and she really needed to clear her head before dealing with him.

_So we have feelings for a fox, I doubt he returns them in the same way_

_Well he never seems to mind when we cuddle up to him_

_Friends do that… friends cuddle right? Yeah, I'm sure they do, I mean, we're friends_

_Nick is my best friend in the entire city and probably the world, I couldn't ruin what we have_

Judy nodded to herself, ignoring the fact that she was going to try and hug Nick again at the soonest opportunity.

She took out her music player and put in her earphones setting a Gazelle track going. Head bouncing to the music Judy pulled out onto the empty roads and headed for Nick's. Empty roads and plenty of parking was another reason Judy liked getting up so early in the morning. She got through two-and-a-bit Gazelle songs before Nick's apartment complex rolled into view. As the bunny expected there was plenty of space to park and she pulled up right outside the doors as usual.

She was early, she was always early, though she never told Nick just how early she got here. Suffice to say that the fox had never walked out and not found her already parked up. Judy did as she always did, sat back in her seat, closed her eyes and focussed on her music. The time just seemed to fly by like that. She didn't even notice how many songs she had gone through when there was a tapping on the window loud enough for her to hear.

Judy took out her headphones and opened her eyes as she unlocked the doors. The russet coloured mammal that had been haunting her dreams last night climbed in next to her. She was glad to see that Nick was looking a lot better than he had when she had left his apartment the night before.

"Ready for the day Slick?" Judy asked as she always did.

"Other than needing a chiropractor, yeah I think so" Nick chuckled at the questioning look he got "I managed to fall asleep on the couch, luckily I woke up in the night and transferred myself to the bedroom but I think the damage was already done"

Judy giggled lightly, she remembered just how tired Nick had been last night, it was quite adorable actually. Nick coughed and looked out the window, he tried to distract himself from the fact that Judy's laugh was perhaps one of the greatest things he had ever heard.

"How's parking duty been?" asked Judy to break the silence.

"Well, I'm tired of it, that's for sure" smirked Nick "and that is  _with_  the most action I've ever seen while on parking duty happening this week. I can't wait to be back working with my partner"

Judy felt a little giddy when Nick admitted that he wanted to be back working with her again. She could understand, while she was enjoying working with Lunette it just wasn't the same as having Nick around.

Nick contented himself with having a morning snack of blueberries to pass the time. Occasionally he would toss one at Judy and be amazed at the bunny's lightning fast reactions as she snatched them out of the air.

The rest of the morning passed in a bit of a blur for the fox. He knew he'd talked to Clawhauser and Lunette and sat through briefing in the bull pen. And he was about to head out on parking duty again. But he hadn't really noticed any of that, the fox's attention had been entirely on a certain grey doe. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, Nick just found himself watching all the little movements that made Judy... Judy, things he hadn't really noticed before.

When he finally did set off on his own for parking duty he was glad to get some solitude. He needed to sort out his mind, he kept on straying into dangerous territory, and the fox really didn't want to end up remembering certain things from his past.

* * *

 

Judy and Lunette were on patrol again, Lunette was driving this time, Judy insisted since the wolf would need to learn the streets of Zootopia sooner or later. Since she didn't know the city that well yet Lunette was quite cautious in her driving, rather different from the rabbit sitting next to her.

"Are you okay Judy?" asked Lunette "you seem a little off today"

Judy jumped at the question, did she seem off? She wasn't sure.

"Ah, no, I'm fine" said Judy smiling as best she could "I was just a little worried about Nick, I think this week has gotten to him"

"That's it?" asked the wolf raising an eyebrow.

"Well… also I don't know what to do tonight" said Judy slowly thinking of something "I was going to go round to Nick's but he's busy… say, do you want to go out for a drink this evening?"

"Really? I'd love to" replied Lunette grinning.

Judy and Lunette had just finished organising the details, when to meet and where, when Clawhauser's voice came over the radio.

"Calling all officers on patrol, return to the precinct, repeat, return to the precinct"

Judy and Lunette glanced at each other, the cheetah kept on repeating the message but nothing else seemed to be forthcoming. Shrugging the wolf pulled over a lane and started heading back to the precinct.

"Wonder what's going on?" said Judy to herself.

"Only one way to find out I guess" said Lunette "and just as I was getting into driving"

"I'll convince Nick that you should drive next week" said Judy grinning "if you bring him something blueberry related I'm sure he wouldn't be disinclined to acquiesce to your request"

Lunette just glanced at Judy out of the corner of her narrowed eyes.

"Did you just?..."

"I don't know what you're talking about" said Judy with a giggle.

Lunette found herself joining in as they pulled up into the station. Since they were patrolling Savanna Central they hadn't been that far away. The two hurriedly entered the building once the cruiser was parked and headed straight for Clawhauser.

"What's going on Benjy?" asked Judy slightly nervously as Lunette tossed the keys onto the desk.

"Hmm" the cheetah held up a paw as he finished on the phone "sorry bout that Judy. Logistics"

"What?"

"It's a logistics error" sighed Clawhauser "something's gone wrong with the system and the only way to check is to run a full inventory. The Chief is furious, we've had to recall all the cruisers which is a big dent in patrolling officers"

Judy deflated, she had been sure there was going to be some terrible situation that required every officer available. Although she was glad it didn't turn out like that.

"What should we do now then Ben?" asked Lunette.

"Oh, Chief said you two can just patrol on foot, you were covering Savanna Central anyway, Downtown is close enough"

Judy perked up a bit, she was worried that they would get stuck in the department doing paperwork or some such. It was a nice sunny day, she hadn't stretched her legs properly in a while, she could show Lunette some of Zootopia properly. The more Judy thought about it, the better this logistics error sounded. Saying goodbye to Clawhauser, Judy was practically pushing Lunette back out of the building.

* * *

 

They'd been patrolling for about an hour without anything interesting happening. They were still keeping an eye out but it seemed like it was going to be a quiet day. After a brief discussion the two of them came to the conclusion that, since everyone was walking patrol today, the area they could cover would be safe. No criminal would go out with so many cops on patrol. The same couldn't be said for the districts they couldn't reach on foot. They were probably going to have a very busy week next week.

Taking advantage of this fact Judy was showing Lunette the city, or at least as much of it that they could reach on foot.

"I'm sorry" said Judy, her ears drooping slightly "if Nick were here this would be so much better, he knows the city like the back of his hand, it wouldn't surprise me if he'd worked as a tour guide at one point"

"It's fine Judy" smiled Lunette "it's a lovely day, I have good company, and we don't seem to have much work"

The two of them wandered round another corner, turning off the main road they were on onto one of the smaller streets. Lunette walked a few more paces before she realised that Judy wasn't next to her anymore. Looking back Lunette saw the bunny with an evil grin on her face.

"Lunette?" asked Judy still grinning "Do you have a pair of sunglasses?" the wolf nodded slowly "Good, now follow me, don't talk, just do as I do"

Judy put on her pair of sunglasses and crossed the road in a break in the traffic. Lunette followed behind pulling out her own pair of shades wondering what was going on.

A little way down, on the side of the street they were now on, there was a little stall set up. At the top it said 'Junior Scout Ranger' and there was a whole assortment of boxes of different types of cookies scattered over it. There was a big jam jar about a third full with notes and coins that was obviously being used to hold the stalls earnings. At the opposite end of the table to the jam jar was a board with the prices for the various boxes of cookies.

Behind the stall, stood on a soap box so that he could actually see, was a fennec fox dressed in a Junior Scout Ranger uniform, complete with matching hat. Seeing the two police officers approaching the fox's eyes narrowed but he didn't say anything.

Judy walked up and stood at one end of the stall and started scanning the perimeter, a perfect picture of a cop on patrol looking out for a little boy scout. Lunette raised an eyebrow behind her shades and moved to stand at the other end of the stall. From what she could see they were going to offer a little protection to a young kit. But this certainly didn't warrant the evil smile she'd seen on Judy's face earlier.

The two officers didn't say anything, they just stood on guard with blank expressions, watching the public going past. Actually, if anything, the stand became even more popular now that there were two cops watching over it. After about an hour or so of customers coming and going, the jam jar had been filled to the brim with money. Lunette did find it a little odd that the fox kit hadn't spoken a word the entire time they had been there, he only pointed to the price board and looked adorable.

Judy had just finished talking to an old lady goat who was thanking them for taking the time to look after the children. Waiting till the goat was out of hearing distance, she turned back and pulled out her phone, the street was momentarily empty and she'd been reading the signs on the fennec fox over the last hour.

Sure enough, the fennec fox turned round and reached up to grab the hat on his head, staring daggers at Judy.

**FLASH!**

The fox froze in the sudden burst of light, when his vision cleared up again he saw Judy holding her phone out with an evil grin on her face. The fox looked particularly angry now, in fact, Lunette noticed that he no longer appeared that young.

"Goddamnit Bunny cop" shouted Finnick in his characteristically deep voice "You better not have saved that pic!"

Judy ignored him and turned to her current partner.

**FLASH!**

Judy smirked as she looked at the wonderful expression on Lunette's face, there was shock, confusion, disbelief all merging together into an excellent photograph.

"Y-you're not a kit" said Lunette slowly.

"Do I look like a kit to you!" shouted Finnick before looking down at his current outfit "don't answer that. Whatchu want Bunny cop?"

"Aw come on Fin" said Judy smiling normally now "I just came to say hi, see how the junior rangers were treating you"

"Hardy har har" said the fox folding his arms before turning his back on her "you know how hard it is to find a suitable hustle since you stole my partner?"

Finnick began to dismantle the stall, everything on the top went into crates that were hidden underneath it and the whole thing was on wheels. With well-practised ease, the little fox had the whole setup ready to haul away in thirty seconds.

"I never stole Nick" said Judy a bit indignantly while Finnick just raised an eyebrow and gave her a knowing stare "He came of his own accord"

"Still your fault"

"Well, look how much money we helped your raise today" said Judy whose smile slowly turned evil again "and all for the little price of one photograph"

"You better get rid of that picture Bunny cop" glared Finnick.

"I was thinking of sending it to Nick since I'm not going to see him for a while" said Judy looking at the phone thoughtfully.

"You do that and I'll bite your face off Bunny cop!"

Lunette tensed, the two obviously knew each other but this seemed a little too close to threatening an officer. Judy noticed her partner's discomfort and held a paw up comfortingly.

"Wait…" said Finnick noticing something "you ain't seeing Nick later? You two are like an old married couple, hardly ever apart"

"Nick's seeing his brother this evening" said Judy struggling to keep the redness from reaching her easily visible ears  _Is that really how Finnick sees us?_

Finnick had been about to tow his stall off the street back to where he'd left his van when he froze. Slowly his head turned back to look at Judy in disbelief.

"What did you just say Bunny cop?" he asked slowly.

"I said Nick was seeing his brother" said Judy tilting her head "Nick's been in a right state this week since he turned up"

Finnick just stared at her wide eyed as he tried to take in what Judy had just said. He shook his head and grabbed the handle on the stall. With a gruff sounding "Ciao Bunny cop" the fennec fox began to drag the stall towards the alleys where he had parked his van.

 _Bunny cop wouldn't lie about that sort of thing_  he thought furiously  _hell, it's not something you could just guess_

He flung open the back of his van as soon as he reached it and grabbed a hook near the doors. He attached it onto the stall and jumped up to a winch on the inside of the van. The fennec fox was too small to manhandle something of this size. But he was used to that sort of thing, that's why he had the winch system set up in his van. Grumbling under his breath, Finnick turned the handle over and over as the stall was hoisted up into the back of the van.

 _So Noct is back and they ain't told me_  the fennec chuckled deeply  _Oh imma introduce my bat to their knees real good_

Finnick hopped down and slammed the back of the van shut again. He had just walked round to the driver's door and climbed in when his phone started going off. Checking the caller he saw it was Nick, he stared at the call for a long time before finally picking up.

"Whatchu want Nick?"

" _Hey Fin, listen I meant to call yesterday but I completely crashed after work, something big has happened"_

"You mean that Noct's still alive and back in town?" asked Finnick growling slightly.

There was stunned silence on the other end of the phone.

" _You met Judy didn't you"_

"Yeah I saw Bunny cop" Finnick sighed, he knew he couldn't really blame Nick for getting so worked up "So it's true?"

" _Yes, he's back, and speaking of, you free this evening? We're going for a drink"_

"Yeah, not like I got anything better to do" the fennec's eager expression didn't match his words but Nick couldn't see that "What time? Where?"

" _Around 6 at Moonlight"_

"Moonlight?!" asked Finnick surprised "You made up with Albert too?"

" _Yeah, it's been one crazy week"_

"Sounds it, alright I'll be there, Ciao"

Finnick hung up and sat back in his seat, he stared into space for several minutes before the light returned to his eyes.

"Oh this is gonna be gooood"

* * *

 

"And then I convinced Nick to go apply to be an officer" Judy finished up.

She and Lunette were sat on a bench in one of the large squares that littered Savanna Central. They had grabbed a bite to eat from one of the vendors and then Lunette had asked for a little background with Judy and Finnick. This kind of snowballed into Nick's past, and eventually Judy just ended up retelling the entire Night-howler case.

Lunette had followed the entire thing in awe, when she had first heard how Judy met Nick and what he was doing, the wolf was rather worried. But as she listened to the whole story, how Nick had stood up to Chief Bogo for Judy, how much he'd helped, how Judy had hurt him but he'd forgiven her, how he'd refused to abandon her at the final moment. Well, it painted the fox in a whole different light.

She could certainly understand why the two were so close and why Judy wanted no one else to be her partner on the force. The two obviously had a chemistry that just worked, even Lunette could tell that, and she'd only seen them together a couple of times.

"You know" said Lunette leaning back in the sun "that story was  _even_  more unbelievable than what was reported in the Night-howler case… and that had entire cities disbelieving it"

"Urgh, don't remind me about that" groaned Judy "I hate that sort of attention"

"Not much you can do about that little miss celebrity" grinned Lunette "Can I have an autograph?"

She chuckled at the glare Judy gave her. Lunette looked around, the square was full of mammals going about their business. Families were out for a walk, people were having lunch from the vendors, lots of mammals were just hurrying here and there in the sun. Everything was so… nice. It was a far cry from what she was used to back in Los Antleres.

"Um… excuse me"

Lunette and Judy looked round, there was a little brown hand grabbing Judy's jump suit. The hand was attached to an equally small brown bunny with one black ear.

"Are-are you Officer Hopps?" asked the little rabbit slowly.

Judy smiled warmly down at the little kit, while she didn't like most of the publicity she had gained, dealing with children was something she very much enjoyed.

"That's me, Officer Judy Hopps, ZPD, what's your name?"

The little bunny's eyes lit up and a smile started contesting with a rather shy look on her face.

"M-my name's Katie" whispered the bunny twiddling her thumbs together.

"That's a lovely name" said Judy gently "what do you want to do when you grow up?"

"I want to be a cop!" shouted the kit jumping up and down "just like you!"

The kit's words struck Judy deep inside and she struggled not to let anything show on her face.

"Well, it's a lot of work Katie" said Judy slowly "you aren't a lazy kit, are you?" the little brown bunny shook her head frantically "then I'm sure you can do it… cos in Zootopia anyone can be anything"

The star struck little kit nodded and hugged Judy's leg for a moment before she ran off again. The two officers watched the little rabbit carefully till Katie joined up with another group of rabbits, obviously her family. Her mother was clearly worried and angry that her baby ran off but her expression softened as Katie said something and pointed towards Judy and Lunette. Judy waved and the mother nodded gratefully before shepherding her family on again.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" asked Lunette with a little smirk.

"No, it wasn't" said Judy as she watched the family move off "it's for times like this that I can put up with the rest of the publicity"

Judy jumped off the bench and stretched, it was moments like that where she could see real change happening. Not just for now but for the future, and she had had a paw in it. Lunette stood up as well and the two set off again, they had spent enough time sat around. On one side of the square was an alley way that Judy knew was often frequented by crooks and other shady deals. So rather than continue the patrol on the streets Judy led the way towards the alley.

There wasn't anything in plain sight when they reached the alley but it started to twist and turn after about ten meters so who knows what could be happening down there. Not many cops would go out of their way to search it, in fact Judy only knew about it because Nick pointed it out to her. The fox knew all the little hideaways and spots people gathered in to be away from prying eyes.

Judy was about to lead the way in when there were shouts from behind them. Turning back the square was in a bit of chaos. A few stands and vendors had been knocked over and mammals were running here and there. Judy was about to rush back and see what was happening when she caught sight of someone long and thin agilely snaking their way through the legs of the crowd. Seeing they were heading towards the alley Judy gestured for Lunette to follow and they both hid behind a dumpster near the mouth of the alley.

Sure enough, just a minute or so later, Judy's sensitive ears picked up panicked running. Judging the time, she nodded to Lunette who reached an arm out and grabbed. Judy stepped out from behind the dumpster to see Duke Weaselton struggling in the wolf's grasp.

"Well, well" said Judy "what have you done this time Duke?"

"Oh great, it's flopsy the copsy" groaned the weasel before twisting to look behind him again "look, I ain't done nothing this time, you gotta let me go"

"Now why would we do that Mr Weaselton?" asked Lunette "You caused quite a mess back there" she nodded towards the square.

"Look" the weasel was getting very panicked now "there are some people after me, you can't let them catch me or I'm dead"

Judy frowned, she'd interacted with the small-time crook enough to tell that he was scared this time. Turning to look back at the square Judy was just in time to see three mammals force their way through the crowd towards them. The one in front was a polar bear, though quite short for one, and he was flanked by a pair of tigers. Seeing that their target was stuck they slowed down and sauntered over.

"Thank you for looking after our friend here" said the polar bear with a sneer "if you could just hand him over to us then we'll be on our way"

Judy raised an eyebrow.

"I'm afraid we'll be taking Weselton here down to the station on the grounds of assaulting those street vendors back there" said the doe carefully reading the three mammals like Nick had taught her. There was an annoyed "It's Weaselton!" from behind her.

"Listen here cottontail" growled the bear getting angry "you're going to hand over the weasel or things are going to get ugly"

Judy raised her eyebrow even higher and turned to Duke who was also shocked.

"Are they serious?" asked Judy to Duke "Do they know what they sound like?"

"I-I guess so" said the weasel as he looked at his three pursuers pityingly "they said they was new in town"

"I'm going to have to ask you three to come with us to the station" said Judy curtly.

"Oh yeah? we haven't done anything cutie" growled the tiger on the left.

Duke Weaselton winced at this and decided he was very glad that, for once, he was on the rabbit cop's side.

 **Zwzwzwvup** _You're going to hand over the weasel or things are going to get ugly_   **Zwzwzwvup** _Oh yeah? We haven't done anything cutie_ **Zwzwzwvup** _cutie_ **Zwzwzwvup** _cutie_ **Zwzwzwvup** _cutie_

The three mammals stared at the carrot pen held in Judy's hands in confusion.

"I think speciesist harassment and threatening an officer of the law are suitable grounds to bring you in for questioning" said Judy smiling slightly.

The polar bear's gaze switched between the carrot pen and Judy a few times as he tried to catch up with what had happened. When they realised they'd been had the three animals growled and attacked, much to the officer's surprise.

The polar bear was closest and lunged down at Judy, she easily stepped inside the grab, right underneath the bear's head. Judy tensed and kicked straight up, doing a full split as her incredibly powerful hind leg slammed into the bottom of the bear's jaw. His head flipped back and the stocky polar bear actually came a few inches off the floor before he landed in a heap unconscious.

The tigers were stunned at this, they'd never heard of a bunny that could go toe to toe with giant predators before. Judy took advantage of their hesitation and leapt towards the tiger on the left.

"Don't call me cutie" was the last thing the big cat heard as a grey foot rushed towards his face, filling his vision, and then everything went black.

The other tiger snarled and tried to take advantage of the fact that Judy had her back to him. He thrust his right paw towards the rabbit, claws glinting, when a white blur appeared behind him. Two blows to the back of his knee made the tiger stumble, his attack on Judy disrupted. Lunette grabbed his left arm as he threw it out for balance, she twisted it behind his back and forced the tiger face first onto the floor. The tiger's right arm swung back at her but the wolf easily swayed out of the way, she grabbed that arm as well when it was at its most awkward position and forced it down with the other arm behind the tigers back. Judy held out a pair of handcuffs which Lunette took gratefully and cuffed the tiger.

Duke Weaselton hadn't run away, mostly due to shock, as he'd watched the bunny take down a polar bear and a tiger barehanded. The wolf accompanying her wasn't to be messed with either. He swallowed, very happy for once that he hadn't committed any crimes.

"Are you gonna arrest me too" he asked dully, he'd given up on running away at this point.

"No" said Judy after staring at him intently for a long while "for once I think you're telling the truth" the weasel visibly relaxed "But" and un-relaxed "I want to see you in the precinct on Monday morning to give a statement. If I don't see you I'll get Nick and we'll track you across the city and then we  _will_  arrest you"

Duke nodded so much his muzzle felt like it was about to fall off before he turned and vanished down the alley like a bolt of furry lightning.

"You sure that's okay?" asked Lunette while keeping an eye on the still conscious tiger.

"Yeah, Duke's just a small-time crook and if there's one thing he has it is confidence, which I certainly did not see today. This tells me that he's got stuck in something bad"

"Do you know every crook in the city personally?" asked Lunette smirking.

"No, I think you've met them all now" Judy grinned back before she grabbed the radio at her waist "This is Officers Hopps and Furle, we have dealt with three mammals on grounds of threatening, and assault of, an officer"

"This is dispatch" came Benjamin's familiar tones "you're lucky, we've got enough of the inventory check done to send a car out to you, where are you?"

"Near the alley on the west side of Acorn Square in Savanna Central"

"Okay Judy, they'll be with you shortly"

"And now we wait" said Judy as she sat down on the unconscious tiger.

"Are you sure you should do that? He is unconscious" said Lunette raising an eyebrow.

"And he also called me cutie" growled the rabbit "I'm definitely going to need a drink later"

 


	13. Chapter 13

The sun was beginning to sink in the sky, though not enough for the oranges of sunset to be present yet. The light was no longer the glaring brightness of midday and gently illuminated the plants as they waved in the breeze.  _Moonlight_  was a popular place, chic, down to earth, natural, it drew in the crowds. There was a retractable, transparent roof cover as well in case the weather turned rough however that was certainly not an issue this evening.

It was still a bit early for the majority of the patrons who would visit but even at six o'clock the bar was nearly half full. As an open roof establishment, there were issues with noise from the city drifting in. Albert fixed that by placing speakers throughout the shrubbery that played ambient rainforest sounds. It transported you out of the urban jungle and into the real jungle that was the main view outside. Along with the background noise there were muffled conversations and the clinking of glasses mixed in.

Albert was stood at the bar as he normally was, cleaning a few glasses as bartenders everywhere were wont to do. His ears twitched at the familiar ping of the elevator. Sure enough it was shortly followed by the swish of the lift doors opening and the tapir waited to see who had entered his bar this time. He heard the footsteps but nobody came into view. Frowning slightly Albert leaned forwards onto the large bar to get a better look. He had a reasonable idea who it would be if he couldn't see them.

Finnick scowled back up at him from far below the height of the bar. Albert raised an eyebrow at the fact that the fennec had brought his baseball bat with him but didn't say anything, he could guess what it was for.

"Been a little while Fin" said Albert as he put down the glass he was cleaning "at least you came to visit every so often, the usual?"

"Thanks Albert" came Finnick's distinctive baritone as the tapir opened one of the fridges behind the bar "so where are they?"

"Figured you'd be here for that" said Albert coming back into view, he handed a cool bottle of imported beer down to the fox "They're over in the bamboo grove"

Finnick grunted his thanks as he took his drink. The tiny fox dragging a baseball bat behind him gathered quite a few stares from the other patrons but he was used to that sort of thing. Pausing only to scare the daylights out of an antelope by snarling "Chu looking at, pencil-horn?" the fox headed around the side of the bar area.

While the bar was certainly full of plant life, and loosely based on the Rainforest District, there were patches of other kinds of vegetation. In this particular corner, the most out of the way part of the bar, there was a wall of bamboo. Given how repetitive the plant can look in large numbers it was hard to tell that there was actually a winding path through the seeming solid wall of bamboo.

Walking through it Finnick came out into a little secluded patch of paradise. There was a simple rockery along one edge with a small fountain running through it providing the calming sounds of running water. There was a single curving table in a rather abstract shape that meant many mammals of different sizes could all sit round it together. Not that that mattered right this second as there were only two animals present other than Finnick.

Nick was sat leaning on his elbow while his other hand held a blueberry daiquiri that he loved so much. He was wearing a black suit and tie, though his jacket was hung on the chair next to him. He looked up and grinned, giving Finnick a small toast as he arrived.

Noct was wearing what he always wore, black shirt and trousers with a red tie, and looked immaculate. He had chosen to sprawl out on a small couch beside Nick and looked supremely relaxed. He had a brandy alexander in one hand, he was trying to make up for lost time since nowhere did them like Albert, and he raised his glass as well at Finnick's appearance.

The fennec fox stood there and stared with a rather vacant expression on his face. The view before him, if not for the fact that  _Moonlight_  hadn't been around then, could have come straight from the time of Broken Clockwork all those years ago. Finnick brought his beer to his lips and chugged about half of it before shaking his head.

"You better have a good story to tell Noct" said Finnick as he walked up to the couch the panther was reclining on.

Noct grinned and held out a fist which Finnick bumped with his own.

"It's good to see you again Fin" said Noct "I'd like to thank you for looking out for Nick all these years"

Both of the foxes snorted at this and Noct couldn't help chuckling as well.

"I mean it though" said the panther seriously.

"You stop talking mushy stuff like that or I'll introduce your knees to my bat like I was planning to" glared Finnick as he hopped up on a chair next to Nick and Noct "So you gonna tell me what the fuck happened ten years ago?"

Noct got comfortable on the couch and began to tell pretty much the same story he had told to Nick and Albert a few days ago. What had happened on that dark, snowy night after they had separated from Finnick. How he had to leave, both to protect everyone but also to find out exactly what had happened to the Lacerdas. Nick went and got another round of drinks in about halfway through, during part of the story he'd already heard.

When he got back with the alcohol he found Noct telling Finnick about some of the hustles he'd pulled off while he'd been wandering. Nick had to admit, as he listened to how Noct had bought hundreds of bowls of fruit on the cheap only to coat them whole with pottery glaze and sell them on as table centre pieces for over ten times the price, that his brother had learnt well.

"Had a good teacher" said Noct with a shrug and a grin at the fox when Nick pointed this out.

Finnick actually pulled out a little notebook and started to write some of the ideas down.

"What?" he said in response to the stares he got "you know how hard it is to come up with a good hustle without you, Nick? You were always the creative one, jackass"

Nick closed his eyes for a few minutes as he just listened to Noct and Finnick catching up. It was like all the years of separation had never happened.

 _I guess that's what it's like with your closest friends_  he thought smiling to himself.

"So why did you come back Noct?" Nick heard Finnick ask.

The red fox's ears pricked up. Here it was. This was what he'd been waiting for since he suggested inviting Finnick. Nick and Noct were close, they knew dark secrets about the other that they had never told anyone else, not even Finnick. But almost because of how their relationship as brothers was, there were somethings that Nick found a bit tricky. Sometimes, you needed a different angle. Nick knew there was more to Noct's story but he also knew enough about the panther not to want to push it.

Finnick on the other hand, had a much different relationship with the two of them, and he wasn't one to shy away when blunt force was required.

"I-I don't really want to talk about it" said Noct squirming slightly.

"Oh yeah" said Finnick as he waved the end of his baseball bat under Noct's nose "well, ten years of waiting says I  _do_ want to talk about it"

"He had some girl problems" said Nick smirking on the sidelines.

"Oh now you definitely ain't getting out of this" grinned the fennec fox widely "spill it"

Noct groaned, he downed the rest of his drink before reaching out to grab the new one Nick had brought. To be fair, the panther had been expecting this, he understood how Finnick worked just as much as Nick did. Sometimes you just need to be threatened with a baseball bat by the smallest mammal you know to come to terms with things.

"I returned because I was panicking" said Noct closing his eyes, he didn't really want to see either of the fox's reactions "it was pretty similar to how I left in the first place, I was a danger to those I had gotten close to, so I vanished as I so often find myself doing"

There was silence for a long moment and it appeared that the big cat had no intention of saying more. Noct opened his eyes when something poked his chest to see Finnick waving his bat at him again.

"Now you listen here" grinned Finnick evilly "I've lost count of the times you guys had a laugh at my expense over my romantic mistakes. We all know the reason why we've never heard about anything like that with Nick" the red fox winced slightly "so now that I find out that even the great Noctis Lacerda got hit with the love bug, well I ain't letting you go without details"

Noct sighed, he'd tried to get out of it at least, though he knew it wouldn't have worked. He chuckled a bit as he closed his eyes again, he really never thought that the roles would be switched, with Finnick grilling  _him_  about girl problems and not the other way around.

"I met a girl" began Noct slowly "which you may have gathered by now. I've met hundreds of women in my life, you know that Nick, due to my family and our job, but not a single one ever moved me. We're both broken. Or at least… I thought I was. You know I've always been… restricted… in who I have feelings for, hell, I've never felt a thing for the rest of the Lacerdas. Before I came to Zootopia I wondered if I had any emotions at all"

Noct was silent for a moment as he organised his thoughts. The two foxes didn't interrupt this time and just drank their drinks slowly.

"Anyway, I met a girl, and from the moment I saw her… that was it. She was perfect and I felt something I'd never felt before, something I never thought I would. She was the best thing to ever happen in my life" Noct opened his eyes a wink and glanced over "No offense Nick"

"None taken" smirked the fox.

"I'd never gone after a female before, not for myself rather than just to get close to a target. But she was going to be mine, no two ways about it, and I chased after her like I was possessed. Actually, I'm quite glad you never got to see that, I'd never have lived it down. She fell in love with me too to my heart's delight and relief. For once, I didn't want to move on, to keep wandering. I was going to stop the hustling, not piss off the wrong people, just so I could stay with my Bruma"

There was a sudden snort and a spluttering cough as Nick started choking on his drink. The other two looked at him worried and Finnick leant over his chair and thumped Nick on the back hard enough to nearly send him out of  _his_  chair. Nick seemed not to be dying now and coughed a few more times as he raised a paw to reassure the other two. His brain however was running haywire and it was just a good thing that he was coughing so no one could see his expression properly.

 _Bruma!_  He thought franticly  _Oh dear…_

"You okay Nick?" asked Noct concerned.

"Yeah, yeah" said the fox leaning back in his seat once he'd calmed down, he was wearing the most perfect mask he had ever put on, and he needed it with how well he and his brother could read each other "was just a bit of a shock that you of all people were going to settle down and be a family man"

Finnick snorted at that before all three of them burst out laughing, to Nick's delight Noct didn't seem to have noticed anything strange.

"Now that you mention it, yeah, I guess I caught it bad, didn't I?" chuckled Noct "Life was wonderful but we weren't together for very long now that I think about it" his face fell and he finished off his second drink "and then the one time that something good happened, when I wasn't going to stir up any trouble in the city I was in, someone did it all for me. A rumour began to spread in the underworld that there was a Lacerda in the city. Of course, I still had my ear to the grapevine so to speak so I found out immediately"

Noct stretched out on the sofa and placed his empty glass down on the table, a profound sadness in his eyes.

"I didn't know what to do, I'd never used my last name, but I hadn't really been very subtle in hiding, didn't think I'd have to. I panicked, the underworld had already started to move, it would take a while but they  _would_  find me, I was just trying to be an ordinary citizen this time around. And when I thought of my Bruma, even though it hurt to even consider leaving her, the moment I thought of her getting involved in everything, about her getting  _hurt_ … my heart broke. I didn't even notice what I was doing until it was three days later and I was about a hundred miles away. Looking back on it, I had pulled off the cleanest disappearing act ever, on autopilot I completely erased all evidence that I ever existed there" Noct raised a paw and extended his claws that were as black as the rest of him. He observed them closely turning his paw this way and that "It hurt, but I kept my ear to the ground, no one ever connected me to her, she was safe, and that was all that mattered to me. Like I said I was in a bit of a state at that point and I was moving without really noticing where I was going. And then I found myself at the gates of Zootopia once more."

There was silence for a while as the foxes digested everything Noct had said.

"Never thought I'd hear something like that coming out of your muzzle" said Finnick tapping his bat on the ground "So how'd you meet her then?"

"She nearly got me killed" smiled Noct joyfully as he remembered the past "indirectly of course. I was going shopping and some mammals tried to rob the store. I was content to ignore it and just get on with searching the frozen goods when she burst in. She was a cop in case I didn't mention it"

"You?!" said Finnick slowly "Fell for a cop!?" he glanced over at Nick "actually scrap that, you two brothers are too alike sometimes"

Noct carried on before Nick could even register what Finnick had just implied.

"Everything fell to pieces, she'd obviously underestimated how many robbers there were, and bullets started to fly. Not that I noticed any of it, from the moment she appeared I was entranced. It wasn't till she ran towards me and tackled the two of us into some cover that I realised what was going on… I was quite lucky not to get hit by a stray round given how bad the robbers seemed to be with their weapons. Bullets were flying everywhere but we were safe and for once I spoke without thinking"

The panther started to look rather sheepish, Finnick just narrowed his eyes and waved his bat a few times.

"I asked her to dance with me" said Noct looking away.

The other patrons in the bar all looked over towards the bamboo grove as huge booming peals of baritone laughter emanated from it. Finnick had fallen off his chair and was beating a fist on the ground as he just kept on laughing. After a good few minutes with no sign of this stopping both Nick and Noct started to frown. Almost as if he could feel the stares he was getting Finnick somehow managed to calm down.

"Ahahaha… haa haa… So?" asked the fennec fox as he took a few deep breaths and got back in his chair "what did she do?"

"Well before I could even think about what an idiot I was, she took my hand. And then I just sort of stopped thinking. We danced through a hail of bullets till her reinforcements arrived. I still didn't want to get too close to the police, other than her, so I made myself scarce. And then I found her again a few days later and never let her go"

"Do you have any idea what that sounds like?" asked Finnick chuckling to himself as he slapped his leg "If I didn't know you I'd say it was a fantasy"

"Well you know me" said Noct as he glanced at Nick who then joined in "Extreme physical training from a young age. Advanced knowledge and application of chemistry, biology and psychology. And a little black panther magic"

Nick shook his head, his classic smirk on his muzzle as he stood up.

"Same again?" he asked over his shoulder as he stood and headed for the bar, to which he received two yes's.

The moment he was through the bamboo, and was out of sight, Nick almost collapsed. He staggered round to get a seat in front of Albert and stared down at his shaking paws. It had taken everything he had not to give away any of his shock at this revelation. Albert noticed all this of course and quickly turned his attention to the fox.

"You alright Nick? Look like you've seen a ghost" the tapir asked in concern.

"I'm fine" grinned Nick weakly "just found out a little secret that turned out to be quite a bit bigger than I thought. We'll have the same again…" Albert turned to start preparing the drinks "and I'll have a shot of moonlight too"

The tapir turned to look at Nick in surprise.

"You sure you okay Nicky boy?" asked Albert as he reached under the bar for those jugs of see through alcohol.

Nick took the shot glass that Albert handed him and downed it in one feeling a roaring flame run down his throat and light a fire in his belly.

"Yeah, I am now" Nick took a deep breath.

_Well…_

_Yeah…_

_What, you don't have anything to say either?_

_Nope I think we are both a bit stunned_

_So how likely do you think it is that there's **two**  couples who use Bruma as a nickname and first met dancing during a robbery?_

_Not very? I think we need to talk to Carrots_

For once Nick agreed with the little voice's suggestion. He took the drinks that Albert had prepared while he'd been thinking and headed back to Finnick and Noct. Nick put his mask back on as best he could and walked through the bamboo. Finnick and Noct were chatting quietly while they waited for Nick to return. Noct took his brandy alexander from Nick and looked at him oddly for a few moments.

"You okay Nick?" asked Noct slowly "you look like you have something on your mind."

Nick swore internally, he'd never met another animal that could see inside his head quite like Noct.

 _Except maybe Carrots_  Nick thought as he came up with a cover.

"Actually I do" he said "and I don't think you're going to like it. This..." Nick pulled a sheaf of paper out of his pocket "is everything I could get noted down after seeing the report" Noct took the papers with a frown and started to leaf through them "two days ago I encountered a savage animal"

Finnick and Noct looked up in shock at this, Nick had certainly kept this on the down low.

"But they weren't like any savage animal I'd seen before, they could talk for a start. I managed to calm the kid down and after I sedated him we took him to the hospital"

"It was a kid?!" asked Finnick with a growl, no matter what the three of them had certain rules, and getting children involved violated a pretty big one.

"Yeah, Asra, he's 13" said Nick glowering "it wasn't just Night-howler serum that he was hit with"

"I can see that" said Noct as he reached the notes Nick had copied from what Lunette had gotten out of the hospital "it's a pile of garbage that's what it is, who in their right mind would mix those chemicals together" he sat up straight on the couch and looked at Nick "and the kid's not dead yet?"

"Doctor's said we sedated him just in time or his body would have just given out. Even then he's not in a good condition, I've been in to see him during my breaks the last few days and he's looked worse each time"

"I'm not surprised, with what he went through the kid's not going to last the weekend" Noct raised a paw at the shock on Nick's face "Asra was it? Don't worry, I'll sort something out. More importantly, where did he get this stuff?"

"He was kidnapped while in Sahara Square, orphan on the streets, easy target no one will miss" said Nick, his hackles rising "he could smell water when he escaped but that's the best clue we have. This is worrying me Noct, it all seems far too similar to you and the Lacerdas"

"You have no idea" said Noct as he reread the list of chemicals that were found in Asra's bloodstream "but whoever tried this is crazy, they're lucky that this stuff didn't kill the boy instantly, if I wasn't a Lacerda I'd say that this experiment was just a shot in the dark that got lucky results… but I am a Lacerda, and I'm worried that this was planned" Noct could feel himself getting rather worked up at the thought "if somehow  _that_  research, even just a fragment of it, got out…" a cold fire seemed to burn in the panther's chest, hatred for the family that made him the way he was, that broke him "even in death the Lacerdas just can't stop messing around with me"

"You think someone took their research after the Lacerdas were killed off?" asked Nick.

"My family was years and years ahead of the rest of the world when it came to chemistry, that goes right back to the family's ancestry as medicine men, and you know how they applied it. _Any_ research taken from my family could cause chaos in the wrong hands. The only good thing is that I know that the important data would have destroyed itself automatically the moment the family home was invaded"

Nick and Noct sank into a gloomy silence. As close as Finnick was to the two of them, there were some things that they only shared between themselves, and the fennec was rather confused. Most of the conversation had flown over his head but he could gather that things weren't good.

"Alright" he growled "Dunno what all that was about but if you two don't cheer up a bit I'm gonna beat you round the head and steal your drinks"

Nick and Noct snorted and remembered that Finnick was still here. Noct took a long drink trying to think of something else to talk about when he remembered the rest of the phone call he'd had with Nick the day before.

"So what was the other thing you need my help with?" he asked the red fox.

Nick started and wondered what Noct meant for a moment before his plan came back to him. A sly grin appeared on his face that the Noct and Finnick hadn't seen in a long time.

"I thought you'd given up the hustling game Nick" said Finnick with a very similar smile on his face.

"Oh it's not a hustle" said Nick "I may go so far as to call it a scheme though. It involves how I'm going to spend that money Noct"

The panther's ears twitched at this and he gave Nick his full attention, he was glad that the fox seemed to have gotten over his issues with it.

"So, I had one idea" began Nick taking a sip of his daiquiri "but at the same time I wanted to do something for Carrots…"

"Never thought I'd say this" whispered Noct so quietly only Finnick's sensitive ears could pick it up "but he's got it bad, don't he"

Finnick let out a chuckle as the two focussed on what Nick was saying.

* * *

 

It was later, probably about half nine, and Nick was back at his apartment. Noct had been a bit surprised when he first heard Nick's scheme but it quickly got his approval and the panther assured him that Mr Clement would handle his side of the deal as soon as possible. Disturbing possibilities to do with Asra were put aside momentarily as the three friends traded stories and just caught up with each other.

Nick, like Noct who he had developed the habit with, was normally very careful at measuring his drink. It was only because Albert had brought out the heavy-duty liquor he just called moonlight that Nick had been in such a state last time. The panther had a bit of an unfair advantage in that department as he had an unnaturally high tolerance for alcohol, however, over the years the two of them had learnt the art of managing to stay delightfully buzzed for an entire evening and no more. So Nick was in a pretty good mood when he decided to call it a night.

He almost forgot, but thankfully remembered how he had felt the morning after their last drinking session, and so asked Noct for some Suppressors. Noct had sniggered and asked how bad Nick had been after last time. After hearing just  _how_  bad Nick had been, Noct winced and happily tossed over a pack of tablets. It was unmarked, no writing or numbers on the packet, and each of the pills was pitch black in colour. Seeing that Finnick started to pester Noct for some of his miracle hangover cures as well.

Nick had left the two of them to it, Finnick and Noct showed no signs of finishing their evening just yet. He said goodnight to Albert and went to hail a cab,  _Moonlight_  was pretty popular so there were normally at least two taxis on standby. And so things had led back to Nick's apartment.

He had pulled a ready meal out of the freezer and heated it up. The fish hadn't frozen particularly well, Nick had been a little slow in getting it in the freezer, but that couldn't dampen his mood. He grabbed a glass of water and headed into the living room. Settling himself comfortably on the couch Nick flicked through channels on the TV while absentmindedly picking away at his meal.

He was pondering whether he wanted to watch a movie or if he was fine just channel hopping when there was a knock on the door. Nick wondered who it might be, not many people visited him and he had just been with two of the likely suspects, and Nick could recognise Judy's knock. He had a rather puzzled look on his face, his brain was still pleasantly intoxicated and, while he could still function perfectly normally, he wasn't up to intense mental exercise.

Nick reached the door and opened it, the light in the corridor was brighter than he had on in his room and he blinked in the sudden change. Before he could make anything out he felt something collide with his chest and wrap around him.

"Niiiiiiiiick"

Nick glanced down to see a familiar grey doe who had now attached herself to him by arms and legs. Nick looked up as there was a muffled "You're so warm" from Judy. Lunette was stood in the corridor with a slightly pained expression on her face as she mouthed 'sorry'.

"Well you two obviously had a good time" said Nick slowly trying to get his head round what was happening, he sniffed the air intently "She took you somewhere that does Fuzzy Carrots, didn't she?"

"How did you- no, never mind" said Lunette shaking her head "yes that's exactly what happened"

"She should only be allowed to have two of them maximum" groaned Nick "She's obviously had more, how many?"

"Four and a half" said Lunette wincing "and that was because all the alcohol hit her partway through number five and I realised that she needed to stop"

"Well, please remember this for the future" said Nick tiredly "now, I don't mind that you're here, I'm glad to see Carrots is okay if incredibly sloshed, buuut _why_ are you here?"

Lunette looked away a little embarrassedly and mumbled something Nick couldn't pick up.

"What was that Nix? I don't have Carrot's super hearing you know"

"I said this was the only address Judy would give me… and what did you call me this time?"

"Nix means snow" said Nick with a grin "I always need a nickname for people and I didn't think you'd want me calling you Bruma"

"Yes, thank you" said Lunette her expression softening "Is this going to be okay?" she gestured at Judy still hanging onto Nick "I can take her home if you give me her address"

"Nah, it's okay, she's my partner, I'll deal with it" said Nick as he moved back inside his apartment "have a good weekend Nix"

Nick heard a "you too" from Lunette who headed home as the door shut behind him. He glanced down at Judy who was still trying to burrow into his chest as much as she could. With a sigh, the fox made his way carefully back to the sofa and sat down.

He hesitantly stroked Judy's ears which were flopped down her back. She seemed to like it and melted enough at the touch for Nick to prise the bunny off him and put her on the sofa next to him. Shaking his head Nick reached for his glass of water and downed it, he needed to clear his head a bit. Feeling some movement beside him Nick turned his head and nearly dropped his now empty glass.

Judy was on all fours on the sofa next to him and there was a look in her eyes that Nick had never seen before. It was like fire and hunger and it sent shivers down Nick's spine. Without noticing he suddenly found himself stuck against the end of the sofa, Judy was crawling towards him and he had backed away unaware. But now she had reached him, she lightly walked her paws up his body till she was face to face with him and Nick's breath caught in his throat.

His entire body froze when he felt those velvety soft lips press against his own. He didn't know what was happening and by the time his brain had caught up Judy had leant back panting softly.

"Now we're even" she said breathily.

"Even?" asked Nick even more confused, suddenly the situation struck a chord with earlier in the week "Judy! You said I didn't do anything Monday night!"

"No, you asked if you did anything you needed to apologise for" the bunny trailed a paw down Nick's chest while she looked at him with half lidded eyes "and you didn't"

Seeing Judy in front of him like this, and speak those words, seemed to trip something deep inside Nick, like a spark landing on dry tinder. With a rumble in his chest that wasn't quite a growl Nick reached out, one paw behind her head, the other in the small of her back, and pulled Judy back into a kiss. This time the fox was not sitting stunned and Judy moaned at the passion. She reached out herself and wrapped her arms round his neck pulling herself even closer to the fox.

They stayed locked together for a good few minutes not taking in anything else about the world around them. It was when Nick felt paws fumbling with the buttons of his shirt that he woke up like he'd been struck with lightning.

_Oh god!_

_Yeah, I'm all for this happening, but this was a bit sudden_

_You don't say! You know what happened last time, and this is a hundred times worse_

_Better you mean_

Nick growled at the voice in his head as he sat up. Judy pulled back a little confused as the fox stood up and carried her with him.

"Come on" said Nick in a weird tone of voice "let's get you to bed"

"Why Nicholas" slurred Judy as he carried her towards the bedroom "you're supposed to buy me dinner first"

"I've bought you hundreds of dinners Carrots" quipped the fox but his voice was a bit strained.

He laid the giggling bunny down and pulled the covers over her while avoiding the arms that were reaching for him. Next he went back into the living room to grab his glass which he hurriedly filled with water and then drank. Taking a deep breath Nick returned to the bedroom.

Judy was curled up clutching one of Nick's pillows to her tightly. Unsurprisingly the bunny had fallen asleep the moment she was left alone. Nick knew what was coming but at the same time he couldn't bring himself to move. He just wanted to stand there looking down at the most beautiful creature he had ever known.

And that was the problem.

Agony.

Like molten lead piercing through his heart and a thousand blades running through his chest. Nick's body shuddered as he swayed on his feet. He staggered backwards out of the room as he gritted his teeth, trying not to make any noise and wake Judy. Another wave of pain arrived as he got to the bathroom door and the fox stumbled to the floor clutching his chest.

Flashes of the past began to dart through his mind. His home. His mother. A rooftop. The setting sun. A vixen. Windows rushing past. Noct.

Nick moaned as his heart felt like it was ripping itself apart and he crawled into the bathroom proper. His paws shaking, he pushed himself up till he could grab the sink and stand up. Another burst of soul rending pain threatened to take his legs out again but he struggled to stay upright.

"Oh no" breathed Nick as he caught sight of himself in the mirror "No, no, no, no, no"

Dead eyes looked back at him, almost the same as you'd see on display in a Tundratown fish market. He hadn't seen those eyes in nearly five years and he would have been glad to never see that expression on his own face ever again.

His whole body shuddering in pain, Nick scrambled for the cabinet above the mirror. Tucked away in one corner was a tranquiliser dart for his pistol, kept in case of emergencies, like right now. Nick grabbed for the dart and nearly dropped it. He forced himself to endure and calm down enough to safely pick it up. Once it was in his paw Nick slumped down on the floor again. Unhesitatingly the fox stabbed the tranquiliser into his arm.

Nick could feel the pain subsiding as he lost control over his limbs. He barely manged to curl up on the bathroom floor with his tail wrapped round him before his vision began to grow dark. There was only one fear left in his mind, that he'd be trapped recalling the past as he slept.

But as he lost consciousness there was no sign of that vixen, no sign of Lily in his mind. He just saw a pair of amethyst eyes watching him unblinkingly and Nick, for once in this kind of situation, drifted off into pleasant dreams.

 


	14. Chapter 14

He ached.

To Nick's delight, however, that was all he felt. If not for the fact he was curled up on the bathroom floor, that would probably have been one of the best night's sleep he'd had in a while. His ear twitched slightly, there was silence in the rest of the apartment. Feeling grateful that Judy was obviously not awake yet Nick struggled to sit up. There was a tinkle as he knocked the empty tranquiliser dart lying on the floor next to him.

Feeling  _extremely_  grateful that Judy hadn't found him like that Nick hurriedly wrapped the dart in rolls of toilet paper and pushed it deep into the little bin in the corner of the bathroom. Nick staggered up to the sink and turned on the water. He looked up at the mirror a little hesitatingly, not quite wanting to see himself. Bright emerald eyes, full of life, stared back at him like last night had just been some kind of bad dream.

Except, Nick knew as he washed his face, that it certainly wasn't. It hadn't happened many times during the last 17 years, mainly due to how few people Nick had let get close to him. There had been a few times he'd gotten too drunk, and one time he and Finnick got caught up in a hustle that went too deep. But none of that had held a candle to the pain last night.

_Well that's obviously because Judy means more to you than the prev-_

_Shut up right there! Are you trying to get us killed?_

_Oh calm down, we need to get over this at some point_

_Get over it?! We… are… Broken! Even now…_

Nick growled and shook his head before he splashed himself in the face again. He hissed slightly at the headache he hadn't noticed till he violently moved his head. Patting his trousers down Nick pulled out a little packet of black tablets. Hurriedly filling a glass, he dropped one of the pills in and watched thoughtfully as it dissolved, leaving what looked like a glass of ink.

Nick had used enough of Noct's Suppressors over his life to not have any reservations drinking the black fluid. They were still the best hangover cure, just like he remembered, and before you could count to twenty the headache had completely vanished. Feeling a lot better, and very regretful that he hadn't had any after his reunion with Noct, Nick gave a grin at the fox in the mirror.

It almost looked convincing.

It also vanished as Nick heard a thump and then a loud groan coming from his bedroom. Sniggering slightly to himself Nick poured out another glass of water and popped a second Suppressor out of the packet. The water rapidly turned black as night as Nick wandered back to the bedroom.

Cautiously he pushed open the door to the darkened room. His night vision let him clearly make out a bundle of duvet covers on the floor at the foot of the bed, wiggling gently. Shutting the door behind him so Judy wouldn't get blinded, Nick set the glass down on the bedside table.

Nick slowly unbundled the duvet till it revealed a familiar grey form that twitched slightly at the cool air.

"Come on Judy" said Nick softly as he picked the bunny up off the floor.

Judy whimpered in pain and grabbed hold of Nick tightly. She pulled herself closer to the comforting smell that she instantly recognised as her partner. A bit of her was confused as to why Nick was here but most of her didn't care as having him was helping with the hangover.

Sitting down on the bed Nick reached out for the glass and carefully held it to her lips.

"Drink up" said the fox gently, thanking the heavens that rabbits didn't have night vision and she couldn't make out what she was drinking.

The Suppressors worked their magic and Judy almost immediately stopped the little groans she had been making constantly. She sat up on the bed next to Nick a little bewildered by the sudden change. Nick handed her the glass which was still a third full and went to turn on the light.

Judy was just about to shout out to stop him but the tod was a tad too fast for her and light flooded the bedroom. Judy had scrunched her eyes closed and was waiting for the blinding pain to hit her… but nothing happened. She opened her eyes to see a very amused looking fox stood with his arms crossed.

"What the hell is going on?" asked Judy slowly as she looked down at the glass in her hand, her nose wrinkled at the sight of the pitch-black liquid "and what the hell is this?"

"That, Carrots, is an old family remedy of my brother's, and perhaps the single greatest hangover cure on the face of the planet"

He could tell from her face that Judy wasn't satisfied with that answer.

"Come on, I'll explain on the couch, you must be hungry, right?"

Judy opened her mouth but Nick had already left the bedroom. Grumbling she followed him, she glanced at the glass in her hand dubiously, she didn't drink any more but brought it along in case. She had just gotten settled on the sofa when Nick came back from the kitchen, he had the salad that Judy had never gotten around to eating on Movie Night. Judy suddenly realised that she was starving and Nick raised an eyebrow at the ferocity she attacked the salad with.

"So what happened?" asked Judy mid-mouthful.

"Well Carrots" said Nick leaning back with his hands behind his head "I had just returned from a wonderful evening with Noct and Finnick. I had had a badly frozen ready meal, and was feeling up for maybe watching a movie before bed" Judy glowered at him over her salad "when suddenly there is a knock at the door. Turned out to be one very drunk bunny and Lunette. Apparently, my address was the only one you would give her"

Judy tried to bury herself in her salad as her ears started to flush "How bad was I?" she asked almost dreading the answer.

"You had four and a half Fuzzy Carrots, Carrots, how bad do  _you_  think you were?"

Judy stared at Nick in horror, she remembered the night when she'd had three of those delicious cocktails, that was when they  _both_  decided she should only have two at any one time. She opened her mouth when something else hit her, she stared down at the glass still partly full of black liquid.

"What the hell  _is_  this stuff?" she asked absentmindedly.

"Best hangover cure in existence, like I said, I would advise you ignore the colour and finish it off" said Nick as he watched the bunny cautiously reach for the glass again "I'm assuming that you can't remember anything from last night?"

Judy shook her head as she forced herself to drink the rest of the black liquid, a strange thought wiggled into her mind.

"This seems a little like  _Déjà vu_ " said Judy slowly as she put the empty glass down "but did- did  _I_  do anything I need to apologise for?"

The fox sat and stared at her silently for a long few moments. There was a very odd look on his face, Judy couldn't quite place it, and his eyes seemed happy and sad at the same time. And then it was gone, like she'd imagined the whole thing, and he had that smirk of his on his face.

"No Judy" said Nick seriously in contrast to his grin "you didn't do anything you need to apologise for, not even shoulder throwing me over the sofa"

 _This is almost exactly the same as Tuesday morning_  thought Judy  _he- he isn't saying it for the same reason I did right? No that's impossible, he couldn't remember that kiss…_

_Yeah, just like you can't remember anything either_

Judy managed to keep her expression calm and relieved as her mind ran in circles.

"Well, since you seem to know more about my evening than I do, how was your evening with Noct?" asked Judy to divert the conversation.

Nick's right ear twitched, barely moved really but it was something that Judy had learnt to notice, a tiny, tiny tell that the fox was unsure. Noticing this Judy put down her plate and practically bounced across the sofa to sit leaning against his side.

Nick froze, he could smell her, just like last night, the heat, the taste. Unconsciously Nick shuffled a little further away. And then it hit him. He saw the expression on Judy's face. She was wearing a mask, a little part of Nick thought she was learning well, but not well enough. He could see the pain when he moved away, the sadness hidden deep in her purple eyes.

It wasn't like last night, this time it felt like a shard of ice was slowly digging deeper into his heart. He never thought he'd say this but he would rather be writhing on the bathroom floor again than see Judy make that face. Nick hurriedly reached out as Judy began to move back and pulled her into his side while avoiding her gaze.

There was silence for a few moments as they both recovered their emotions before Judy looked up at him.

"You have a tell, you know?" she said smirking slightly

"No I don't!" insisted the fox as he narrowed his eyes "what is it?"

"You mean what are  _they_ … and I'm not telling"

"Sly Bunny"

"Dumb Fox, now tell me, was everything okay? You didn't fall out with Noct again did you?"

Nick chuckled at this which reassured Judy somewhat.

"No everything was fantastic" said Nick "It's just… well, I found out something that I wasn't expecting"

"Which was?" Judy looked up at him with expectant eyes.

"Ugh, look I'm not sure how to say it without shocking you too much"

"Nick" the fox looked down at the determined expression on Judy's face "Just tell me"

"Alright" said Nick, his smirk growing even wider "Noct is Lunette's mate"

There was silence as Nick waited for the bunny's mind to comprehend what he had just said. A paw shot out and grabbed his tie, with a powerful yank Nick found his head pulled down. Judy's forehead was pressed against his own and her eyes, those enchanting purple eyes, were mere centimetres from him.

"Say that again" said Judy slowly as she stared into his eyes without blinking.

"Noct is Lunette's mate" said Nick just as slowly with a small grin.

"Noct is Lunette's mate?" repeated Judy "How do you know?"

"Two reasons, Finnick managed to get Noct to explain why he came back to Zootopia, 1) he calls his mate Bruma" he could see a glimmer of understanding appearing in Judy's eyes "and 2) he met his mate during a shootout in a supermarket, where they danced down the aisles under a hail of bullets"

"Noct is Lunette's mate" said Judy her eyes shining "Noct is Lunette's mate! She said he was a cat! Noct is Lunette's mate!"

Judy took a deep breath and for some reason her body language unnerved Nick.

 _Where have I seen a mammal look like that before_ he pondered quickly  _ah right, Benjy… wait, Benjy!_

The fox hurriedly shoved his fingers into his ears as Judy erupted in a joyful squeal. His eyes had been clenched shut and when he opened them Judy was gone. As he looked round he could make out a small grey blur bouncing all around the room, all while making noise Nick didn't think possible for her small frame to produce. After far too long in Nick's opinion,  _How big is her lung capacity_  he thought, Judy calmed down and flopped next to him on the sofa again.

"What are we going to do?" she asked breathlessly "we have to get them together again, why did he leave in the first place?"

"Noct has… a complicated background" Nick said slowly still cautious of the rabbit next to him "which I won't go into without him here. Safe to say that Noct put Lunette in danger just by being with her, and as much as it hurt him, which it did trust me, he left to protect her"

Nick flinched slightly as Judy flung herself at him expecting another ear-splitting scream. Instead she snuggled into his shoulder shaking a little bit. Nick looked down in concern to see her smiling but with tears pouring down her face. She looked up and saw the worry on Nick's face, she didn't want him to see her like this, he'd just tease her, so she pushed his muzzle in the other direction.

Nick let her direct his gaze elsewhere but wrapped his arm round her a bit tighter.

"You bunnies, so emotional" smirked the fox.

"Well I can't help it this time" pouted Judy "I was just so happy to hear that he still loved her"

They sat in silence feeling the warmth of the other until Judy had calmed down enough to stop crying.

"So what  _do_  we do?" she asked quietly.

"Oh, don't worry about that Carrots, I've got a plan" Judy looked up to see the same sort of sly grin on his face that he used to wear so often when she had first met him "Somehow, I mean I  _am_  pretty amazing, I managed to get through the night without tipping Noct off. So  _he_  doesn't know that  _we_  know" Nick looked down at Judy and she couldn't help it, a sly smile, similar to the one on her partner, slid onto her face "we are going to hustle him good"

* * *

 

The wind blew past the slightly open window.

Insects chirped and rustled somewhere outside.

The smell of trees drifted in from outside mixed lightly with the scent of smoke and fumes.

Asra was sat in his bed as usual, he wasn't in any fit state to be moving around. In fact he could barely move at all, he just didn't have any strength. Along with this, however, his senses were still running on overdrive. Luckily his room was in a quieter part of the hospital but even then, trapped as he was, the influx of sensation was wearing on him.

Thankfully, since he was so weak, he slept a lot which temporarily protected him from the overwhelming world around him. And he could feel himself getting weaker, he'd lived on the streets long enough to understand what that meant. He had come to terms with it fairly quickly, his life before was nothing worth mentioning, he'd nearly died several times due to criminals or just bad weather.

He had no future, no way of getting out of the terrible situation he was in, unless you fell deeper into Zootopia's underworld. And while you could survive, well, the pup had seen enough mammals fall that way before to know that you couldn't  _live_.

Asra didn't mind not going down that route of life. In fact he had enjoyed the last few days more than the last few years due to two mammals. Mr Wilde, the policeman who had saved him, had visited every day and made the pup feel a closeness Asra had never felt before. He just wished he didn't need to see the hurt on Mr Wilde's face each time he visited and Asra was in a worse condition. The other mammal was Miss Hopps, he hadn't been as close with her as he was with Mr Wilde at first, but she had visited as well when she could. Asra had quickly fallen prey to her infectious personality and positive outlook.

Asra shivered slightly, despite not having his eyes open since the light was a bit blinding, he could still hear and smell everything going on in the room. Nothing had changed, he hadn't heard any noise, all that happened was a slight breeze came in through the window. But for some reason the room didn't feel right anymore and the Jackal pup struggled to open his eyes.

He was too weak and tired to react in surprise but there was a stranger stood at the foot of his bed. It was a panther in black shirt and trousers with a red tie, emerald eyes stared at the jackal's brown ones without any reaction to Asra's savage right eye.

"Who are you?" Asra whispered, he couldn't talk very loud anymore.

"Interesting" said the panther "you noticed me… very interesting. You can call me Mr Clement, I am a friend of Officer Wilde"

The jackal perked up a bit at this, for some reason he had felt very relaxed despite this mammal appearing out of nowhere, so it was because he was Mr Wilde's friend.

"Are you afraid?" asked Mr Clement "You don't have long"

Asra wondered what he meant for a few moments before he understood. This Mr Clement also knew that he was getting weaker and weaker.

"No, I've been very happy having Mr Wilde and Miss Hopps visit"

The corner of Mr Clement's muzzle rose briefly before he returned to seriousness.

"Do you want to live?"

Asra watched the panther carefully. Did he want to live? He'd come to terms with his fate but… that didn't mean he wanted things to end this way. He had found some mammals who cared about him, he didn't want to disappear so soon. Tears started to pour down his cheeks as Asra just nodded his head as best he could.

Seeing this, despite how difficult it was for the pup to move, Mr Clement's expression softened. He walked over to stand right next to Asra and picked up the Doctor's notes from where they sat on the side. He mumbled under his breath a little as he read the latest diagnosis of the pup while nodding his head slowly. Asra could hear what he was saying despite it being so quiet though he couldn't understand it, lots of medical words and science-y things.

"A good thing I came today rather than tomorrow" said the panther slowly as he turned to look down at Asra "I doubt you are going to complain, but Officer Wilde has asked me to look after you. I have already sorted all of the paperwork with the hospital, you are now in my custody"

Mr Clement flipped his palm over to face the ceiling and something appeared in it. It was a little cylinder about an inch long and half a centimetre in diameter. It was split in two down the middle, one side contained a black powder while the other just seemed to hold water. The panther snapped the little tube like a glow stick and the water mixed with the black powder.

"Swallow this" said Mr Clement softly.

Asra could feel something familiar about the big cat, he assumed it was to do with him knowing Mr Wilde as well, but the pup felt that he could trust him. He opened his mouth and, with a little struggle, swallowed down the capsule. While he did that Mr Clement was carefully removing the various sensors that connected Asra to the machines in the room.

Asra was a little confused to be honest, his hearing could easily pick up the doctors when they stopped to talk outside his room, so he knew that there wasn't anything the hospital could do for him in time. Yet this Mr Clement seemed confident that he wasn't going to die. Asra struggled to sit upright and reached across to pull some of the sensors off his arm himself.

He stopped before he could remove them.

 _I moved…_ he thought  _I… I… I feel a bit stronger_

The jackal stopped to look at the panther who smiled slightly at the confusion on the pup's face. Having disconnected Asra from everything Mr Clement reached down and lifted the jackal into his arms. Asra was small even for his age and species, no doubt due to malnutrition over the years, and he was cradled easily in one of the panther's arms.

"Did you have any belongings here?" asked Mr Clement but Asra just shook his head.

Mr Clement nodded and walked out of the room closing the door behind him. Everything seemed to be quite a blur to Asra, whether it was his condition or the capsule Mr Clement gave him, but the hospital corridors started to merge together. He closed his eyes to avoid feeling nauseous and only opened them again when he heard lots of voices going on around him.

They were in the reception and he could hear all the mammals talking normally. Asra blinked, the world wasn't overly loud anymore. He turned his head forwards to see why they were stopped. Several doctors had barricaded Mr Clement from leaving the building, they were demanding to know why he was removing someone from intensive care, a child no less. Mr Clement did not seem particularly impressed with this delay and was rubbing his temples. Noticing Asra moving he glanced down with a small grin.

"Asra, would you mind reaching inside my sleeve" said Mr Clement as he offered his free arm towards the jackal.

Asra reached out, which surprised the doctors in the first place, and slid a paw into the sleeve. Feeling something, he pulled, revealing a sheaf of paper which Mr Clement took from him. The panther then handed the document to the doctors.

"This contains the signatures of every mammal of importance in this hospital up to the director herself" said Mr Clement slowly "it essentially states that this child is now in my care, not yours. Now, I've started to take a liking to the boy so if you don't mind moving aside, I'd prefer it if he didn't die after I went through all this"

The doctors stood there blankly as they read through the document. Some wanted to speak out that removing Asra from the hospital would only cause more harm but their superiors orders weighed heavily on them. Mr Clement strode past them and out of the hospital. Asra flinched in the sudden sunlight when a shadow covered him, he opened his eyes to see Mr Clement holding a paw over his face.

Mr Clement stopped and Asra looked round… and his eyes widened. They were stood beside a sleek black sports car. Asra's eyes ran along the streamlined contours like… well, like a little boy looking at a sports car. He was so engrossed he didn't even notice Mr Clement moving till the door was open and he had put the pup down in the seat.

Moments later the panther climbed in the driver's seat and stretched. Asra looked over curiously, something seemed rather different about Mr Clement but he couldn't put a finger on it. Then he noticed, his body language was completely different. Mr Clement had been very serious and formal, almost stiff, but with a little bit of warmth and humour underneath. Now though, the panther seemed very relaxed, with a playful smile on his face. Even the expression in his eyes made him seem like a different mammal.

"Let's introduce ourselves again" said the panther "My name is Noctis Lacerda, but you can call me Noct, and Nicholas Wilde is my brother"

"But you aren't a fox" said Asra as he stared around the interior of the car in wonder.

"Doesn't matter, still brothers" said Noct as he started the car, he grinned as the engine roared "Mr Clement is the name I use for dealing with uptight business like those doctors"

Asra chuckled slightly, to be honest, he liked this Noct better than the Mr Clement. The whole morning still felt rather like a dream to Asra as the sports car hurtled through Savanna Central towards Downtown. Noct wasn't speeding, didn't want to bother his brother if he got caught, but that didn't stop him using the powerful acceleration of the vehicle to keep as close to the speed limit as possible at all times.

Asra mainly lived in Sahara Square however he had on occasion travelled to the urban jungle that was Savanna Central. So the scenery hadn't been that new to him. Downtown on the other hand, well the Jackal could hardly keep his mouth shut as he stared at the skyscrapers surrounding them. Noct chuckled a little bit at the pup's reactions, he wondered what Asra would think about where he was taking them.

Up ahead the Chrysalis Tower came into view and Noct began to slow down. Asra was a little surprised when suddenly they started to drive downwards. He had been too busy looking up to follow the road. Noct pulled his ride into the tower's underground parking lot. As Mr Clement, part owner of the building, he had his own private parking area where he stopped the car.

Walking round Noct opened the passenger door and lifted Asra back out again. There was a single elevator door right next to his parking spot. This was the same private elevator that connected the lobby of the tower to his penthouse suite, the parking lot was the only other stop. There were only two buttons in the lift despite the three stops but Noct had designed it that way to confuse people… old habits.

He double tapped the 'up' button and the doors slid shut. Asra could feel them moving through the air quickly, like his tummy was doing backflips. From how long this lasted he guessed they must be in one of the skyscrapers he had been so fixated on.

The doors eventually opened again revealing the minimalist corridor where the door to Noct's penthouse was the only other thing apart from the lift they just stepped out of. Noct deftly opened the door one handed and walked inside. He strolled into the living room area and was about to settle Asra down when he heard a gasp.

Looking down he saw Asra staring at the window.

 _It is quite the view isn't it_  he thought to himself as he carried the jackal over to the giant bay window.

"But that's… and over there is… is that Tundratown?" Asra stared wide eyed at the view before him as the whole of Zootopia was laid out before him like toys on a rug "Where's the Rainforest District?" well, almost the whole of Zootopia.

"The Rainforest District is behind us" said Noct leaning his free arm on the railing "It's quite a sight isn't it, not many mammals will ever get to see it either"

Noct stayed there a bit longer to let Asra look before he turned and deposited the jackal on one of the many sofas that littered the living area. The panther sat down opposite him and chuckled a bit.

"Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to admire the view once you are better" Noct observed the uncomfortable shifting of Asra "you don't seem very convinced that I can save you"

"Well, you aren't a doctor Mr Noct… you aren't a doctor, are you?"

"No, I am not" laughed Noct "however I am far better equipped to help you than any doctor. We are very similar Asra, more than you think. Now I'm going to give you an explanation and I know you may not understand all of it but bear with me"

Noct rubbed his eyes a few times "I really don't want to take a Catalyst, I guess we'll just see what I can manage"

Noct removed his paws from his eyes and sat forwards. When he opened his eyes again Asra shrank back in his chair, savage slit-like pupils gazed at the jackal. However within a few moments they trembled and returned to their normal round shape. Asra stared in shock at the panther before him, partly because of the change in his eyes, but mostly because he hadn't felt any fear when he had seen it.

"When I was young" Noct began slowly "I was exposed to something similar to what you were given. This was not the disgusting pile of trash you were injected with but a genuine stable concoction. So believe me when I say that I sympathise with what you are going through. Savage but sane, I believe some people have called it, it's what the drug is meant to do temporarily. However I, because I was exposed over a very long time, have been permanently affected. From what I can tell, since you are still growing and it was a crazy experiment, something similar has happened. Your senses have been running hay-wire recently haven't they?"

Asra nodded slowly, so it wasn't just Mr Wilde that had made him feel so at home around Mr Noct.

"The drug I gave you is called a Suppressor, it dampens the effects, allows our senses to fall within tolerable levels, you aren't being so overwhelmed now are you" the Jackal nodded again thinking back to how odd the morning had been "the Suppressor can't heal you but it should reduce the strain on your body and give us a few more days breathing room" Noct grinned "I  _will_  save you Asra"

Asra took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He wasn't alone. Mr Wilde had saved him, Miss Hopps had shown him not to give up, and Mr Noct knew what he was going through. It suddenly dawned on Asra that he might not die, he could at least have a little hope now, right?

**Bzzzz Bzzzz Bzzzzzzzzzzz**

Noct reached into a pocket and pulled out his phone, he grinned when he saw the caller.

"Alright Nick" he drawled "what can I do for you this fine day?"

Asra's ears perked up, that was Mr Wilde's name.

"Actually, before you tell me, there's someone you should speak to"

Noct grinned and tossed the phone across to Asra. It landed right in front of his lap and the Jackal hurriedly lifted it to his ear.

" _What do you mean there's someone I should speak to?"_

Asra grinned back at Noct.

"Hi there Mr Wilde" he said as cheerfully as he could.

" _Asra!? You're with Noct? That was fast. You're sounding better than I last saw you"_

"Mr Noct gave me a Su-supro- gave me a spresser and now I feel a lot better. We're at his house, it's reeeaaally high in the air, I can probably see your house from here"

" _Well look at you, even I haven't been round to Noct's place yet. Listen, could you pass the phone back to Noct, I need to speak to him. Me and Judy will be round to visit as soon as we can okay?"_

Asra just sat there nodding happily, Noct had walked over to get the phone, he knew Asra wasn't up to throwing it back to him. Noct took the phone when Asra offered it.

"It's me again… Yeah he'll be fine, trust me… I was going to start the treatment when you called actually... I said don't worry now why were  _you_  calling  _me_?... uh huh… uh huh… So  _Moonlight_  tomorrow evening to meet Short-stack properly… okay, okay, I won't call her that… much… is that everything? Yes? Good? Right,  _te videre_ "

Noct shook his head with a sigh as he ended the call.

"He can be a right worrier sometimes" the panther said glancing down at Asra "don't tell him I said that okay"

Asra laughed a little before he stifled a yawn, to be honest this was the most active he'd been in days and he'd still been awake longer than he usually lasted. But the morning was starting to crash down upon him. Seeing this Noct picked the Jackal up again cradling him in one arm.

"Hang tight just a little longer okay?" said Noct as he walked towards the stairs "you can sleep once we've got things started"

Asra nodded sleepily and wondered what was upstairs. Noct waved his free hand over the bannisters of the stairs one at a time. There was a beep and a whoosh from behind and when Noct turned round Asra saw that the floor at the bottom of the stairs had opened up and the steps kept going down.

This was the way down to the third floor that made up Noct's penthouse. As much as he hated it he was a Lacerda, and he had learnt a lot from that, including how to design a safehouse. The third floor had several rooms however there was no way to see into any of them. The scenery was plain white tile, almost like being back in the hospital. Though there was no indicator as to which room was which, Noct headed for one blank door in particular.

Inside was what appeared to be a laboratory of sorts, Asra woke up a bit to stare at all the interesting machines and gadgets. There was also bed that looked more like a doctor's table at one end of the room which was where Noct deposited Asra.

"Hmm" Noct said to himself as he wandered around the room checking screens and monitors every so often "Never thought I'd need to do something like this, it's not the best setup. Still, it should be fine, we'll just take the steps slowly. First up I think we'll need to clear his system out, properly, not like they obviously tried to do at the hospital. Then we'll move onto acclimatising, it would be better if we could leave things as they are as much as possible. But if not, then I'll just have to make a batch of the original… wow,  _really_  never thought I'd need to do something like  _that_ "

Asra didn't really know what Noct was talking about and was trying his hardest to stay awake. Finally Noct returned to the Jackal with a glass of water and several tablets.

"For now, take these" said Noct placing them next to Asra "one will help you sleep properly while the others will get rid of the last bits of muck they injected you with. I'll need to take a blood sample, but I'll do that when you are asleep, you won't even notice"

Asra nodded and took the tablets, he barely drank half the water before the tiredness caught up with him. Luckily Noct had expected this and rescued the glass before it was dropped. Asra curled up on the bed and was out like a light within moments. Noct smiled slightly as he turned back to all the equipment that filled the room… he had some tests to run.

 


	15. Chapter 15

Running. He was running. The wind rushed through his fur as the ground flew by beneath his paws. He could smell the earth, the grass, the flowers, the trees. But for some reason he couldn't make out where he was, everything was a blur. Even so he didn't feel scared. No, everything felt so very  _right_. There was something deep inside him that was revelling in letting loose.

Climbing. He was climbing. He could feel his muscles tensing as he hauled his body upwards. He could feel the texture of the rock face beneath him. He could smell stone, and snow, and ice. The wind howled viciously in his ear but he couldn't feel it. His body was rejoicing as it pushed itself to its limits.

Hunting. He was hunting. The night was quiet, he could hear the slight rustles of his prey. Silently he approached. His mind was floating, running backseat to his instincts, which urged him onwards. Suddenly his prey appeared in view, he couldn't make out what it was, and he pounced. Claws bared, fangs wide, he tore into the unsuspecting mammal. Blood filled his mouth as he thrashed the animal held in his jaws. It fell lifelessly to the ground at his feet and he went to  _feed_.

* * *

 

Asra awoke with a scream, he glanced around frantically, he didn't know where he was. Everything was white and clean like at the hospital but it clearly wasn't. He saw movement from the corner of his eye and flinched bearing his fangs. The colour of red on black seemed familiar as Asra slowly recognised Noct. Everything from before he slept came back to him.

"Good morning" said Noct leaning back in his chair, he was sat in front of a computer screen on one side of the room "you looked like you were having an… interesting… dream"

Noct took in the boy's reaction, a slight whimper, ears falling flat along his head.

"Was it blood?" the panther asked slowly.

Asra looked up in shock, time and time again people kept guessing what was going through his mind, first was Mr Wilde and now it was Mr Noct.

"Our instincts have been pulled right to the forefront of our subconscious" said Noct looking on knowingly "when you sleep your subconscious often takes control while you dream. You'll dream of living wild, travelling,  _killing_ … I've had enough of those dreams myself to recognise what you woke up from" the panther smirked "just be glad that it was just your instinct to hunt. Finding a mate is one of the deepest instincts and… well…"

Noct chuckled as the pup flushed red in embarrassment. He pushed his wheelie chair over to another desk where there was a series of complex gadgets, Asra could only recognise a microscope he'd seen in a picture once. Taking a quick glance down the eye piece, Noct wrote a few notes on a piece of paper next to him before sliding his chair all the way over next to Asra.

"How are you feeling today?" asked Noct as he pressed a paw against Asra's wrist to feel his pulse "It's Sunday morning now by the way"

"I'm feeling better but not much" said Asra slowly "it didn't feel like I slept for very long"

"No, it never does" said Noct sadly, he cheered up as he read through the notes he made earlier "I took some blood earlier and we've finally gotten all the drug out of your system so at least things won't be getting worse. The next step is trickier… for me not for you, you'll be asleep for most of it"

Noct lifted Asra up of the bed and carried him out of the laboratory. He didn't go far, just to the next room down. This one seemed more like what you would expect from a hospital. There were several more strange machines and more beds but the thing that stood out was up against the back wall. It was cylindrical and several meters long, Noct could easily lie down inside it. The bottom was metal and other materials while glass sides completed the odd tube.

 _Not a tube_  thought Asra as they approached it  _not a whole one anyway_

There was actually a large oval opening in the top and Noct lowered Asra into the pod. The floor of it was actually soft and comfortable as Asra laid back. Noct was tapping away at one end of the cylinder, there was a computer screen built into it. Asra suddenly felt like he had sunk into a wonderful warm bath despite the fact he was still bone dry.

"Feel cosy?" asked Noct glancing over "it works a bit like an incubator" Noct reached into the pod and pulled out some medical sensors which he began to attach to Asra's body "There we go" dancing lines of data began to appear on the computer screen "now listen to me Asra"

The jackal tilted his head back to look up at Noct quizzically.

"I'm going to give you something to make you sleep and when you wake up you will be better, one way or another. Now this process may take several days, I'm letting you know now before you go to sleep so it doesn't come as a shock"

Noct walked to one of the cabinets at the side of the room and returned with a pill and a glass of water. Asra trusted Noct completely now, the panther had done nothing but help the pup, and Asra felt closer since Noct knew what he was going through. The pup quickly took the pill and, given how tired his body was still, drifted off to sleep. Noct waited a few minutes anyway before he walked over to one of the side tables. There were several plastic pouches full of different coloured liquids arranged in a row next to an IV drip stand. Gathering them up Noct pulled the stand over to Asra. Noct deftly connected the IV stand's needle into Asra's wrist as well as any doctor could before attaching the first of the different pouches.

He watched the light blue fluid flow down the tube into Asra's wrist, and from there the rest of his body, to make sure there were no complications. Satisfied with the setup so far Noct nodded lightly to himself and went to drag a chair over next to the pod. He sat there silently watching the screen showing Asra's readings for around five minutes or so, not taking his eyes off it for a second, when his phone went off.

A quick check showed that it was Nick again.

"Now what can I do for you Nick? Don't tell me tonight's cancelled?"

" _What? No, no, I just remembered that I never gave you a time. Can you get there for seven?"_

"Hmm" Noct did some calculations "yeah, should be fine, I've just started Asra's proper treatment. He should be stable by then and I can leave him alone"

" _That's great news, listen, could you do me a favour and wait for me outside Moonlight when you get there?"_

"I guess" said Noct raising an eyebrow "want to escort me in so I make the right impression this time?"

" _You got me, something like that anyway, I'll see you at seven then, te videre"_

"Te videre" said Noct closing his phone.

There was a long time till he needed to go meet Nick and Judy and Asra's drip would need changing several times before the treatment reached its stable stage. The panther returned to sitting in silence, he had more patience than you could ever imagine, and was vigilant for any changes in Asra's condition.

* * *

 

Rennie Lamane was humming tunelessly as he wiped his paws clean on several pieces of tissue paper. Once he was sure his fingers were spotless he buttoned up his white silk shirt. He was checking his appearance carefully in a full-length mirror in his private rooms located beneath the Blue Tide nightclub. When everything looked acceptable to his savage eyes, the lion turned for the door.

His eyes passed over the bed with a cold indifference as he walked past. The beautiful cheetah he had been toying with was sprawled naked across it. She wasn't moving and large parts of the sheets were stained red with blood. It was difficult to tell if she was alive or dead just by looking.

He had grown tired of her now, as he always did, and barely spared her a glance as he left the room. Rennie stepped out into a large private lounge area, sofas, tables, a more reserved style than the club beyond. Waiting for him was a black rabbit buck dressed in a full suit with two wolves stood behind him.

Rennie gestured with his head back towards the room he had just left and the wolves moved off in silence. A few moments later they returned carrying the cheetah between them. Rennie and the rabbit did not pay any attention to them as the wolves disappeared back into the nightclub. The buck was busy opening a briefcase that had been resting on one of the nearby tables. He turned back to Rennie holding a vial of bloody orange liquid, the instinct releasing drug, Dusk.

"Punctual as ever Carlos" said Rennie as he took the proffered syringe.

The lion rolled up his sleeve and quickly injected himself with the drug. Rennie stood there with his eyes closed for nearly a minute, feeling the changes in his body. The lion's muscles all tensed and stretched his shirt, his lips pulled back into a silent snarl, and the atmosphere around Rennie became far darker and more dangerous, a thick bestial aura that would unnerve any sane mammal.

"You need to be at your best" said Carlos packing away the briefcase again "as the boss's plans start to move you will need to put on a good show"

"Of course," chuckled Rennie "the greater our show of strength, the more support we will gather from the dregs of society"

Carlos picked up the briefcase, nodded once to Rennie, and headed in the same direction the wolves had gone back towards the nightclub proper. Rennie walked over and reclined on one of the sofas, he pulled out his phone and placed it down in front of him. There was a clock on the wall opposite him and Rennie sat there and stared at it.

The seconds ticked away as the hands of the clock slowly moved onwards. Finally it showed  **12:36**  and Rennie reached out for his phone. Just as he picked it up there was an incoming call from an unknown number. Not daring to be slow Rennie accepted the call and put the phone to his ear.

" _How goes Zootopia, Lamane?"_

Rennie trembled slightly at the voice, there was only one mammal he had ever met who could scare him, and that was his boss.

"Progress is good sir" said the lion, the rush of Dusk helping keep his voice steady "our influence is spreading, Dusk is starting to make its way into the hands of common criminals. Soon things will come to a head and Zootopia won't know what hit it"

" _Excellent, and the research?"_

"Dr Ramstein has been more than cooperative, that mad scientist has become obsessed with the information we gave him. When he's not performing rather excessive experiments his performance has exceeded expectations. With luck he should have completed a more powerful, stable version of Dusk within the month"

" _Ramstein is certainly proving the right mammal for the job… begin phase 1 at your leisure however wait until his research bears fruit before moving onto phase 2"_

"Yes sir" said Rennie grinning slightly, he'd been waiting patiently to get things started.

" _Also… I hear the Shade is in Zootopia… find them… I would like to know who they are…"_

There was a click and the call ended. Rennie finally let out the breath he had been holding in. He had been lucky enough to be chosen to spearhead the boss's plans for Zootopia. This had been a huge boost to his status, right now he was in charge of the Zootopia branch and could do as he pleased. If his Boss's plans succeeded then Rennie would never have to fear his authority being threatened ever again, he would essentially be the boss's right hand. Of course, if anything went wrong…

Rennie shivered at the thought of what his boss did to people who disappointed him, things that could shake even an apex predator like himself while full of the confidence Dusk gave you. The lion shook his head a few times, he'd long since learnt not to think about failure when dealing with his boss, only by focussing on success could you keep the pressure from wearing you down.

Rennie leapt to his feet with a growl, since things were starting to move then he should probably 'put on a show' as Carlos put it. Striding out of the private lounge, the underground nightclub went quiet at Rennie's appearance. It wasn't till he seated himself in his usual place that the noise picked back up again. The lion beckoned and Carlos drifted out of the shadows.

"Put out some feelers" said Rennie seriously "The boss wants to find the Shade and phase 1 can be started whenever"

Carlos nodded once and headed for another group of mammals high on Dusk. The black rabbit was Rennie's most trusted subordinate, one of the few who had travelled to Zootopia with him, and often dealt with the actual logistics of any orders.

Rennie relaxed back in his seat, everything was going according to plan, he had no need to stress or worry. A part of him wondered who the next girl to take his fancy would be. Another part however could not stop thinking about his conversation with his boss.

 _The Shade huh_  he thought  _I almost feel sorry for you, nothing good ever comes from Mr Albicauda taking an interest in someone…_

* * *

 

The internet is a virtual society and, like its counterparts in the physical world, it has its secrets. Lawlessness, shadows, an underbelly that few know of, a darknet if you will. Here you can find anything, though you have to be careful, lest you get found yourself. Weapons, drugs, animal trafficking, blood sports, assassinations, the darknet can provide this and so much more.

The ways into the darknet are varied but elusive and everchanging. Data, servers, everything rotates and is replaced, completely untraceable. Even if the authorities manage to stumble upon a method of access, they won't be able to do much with the information they can gather. Like the dirt and grime in the cracks and corners of the world, the darknet will never disappear.

Despite having anything a criminal could ever need, it is not so easy to use the darknet unless you already know what you are looking for. There is no way to search, and often if you aren't expected then you cannot access anything, leading to layer upon layer of secrecy.

There was one person, who went by the user name [3], that did not follow the rules. Even in a rule-less place like the darknet. They went where they pleased, watched what they wanted, explored the digital world to their heart's desire.

They never did anything, never inquired about services or products, never interacted with anyone. They simply were passing through, the darknet had long since become used to the mysterious [3]. It would become a topic of conversation for dwellers of the darknet if their sites were visited by [3], some even went so far as to consider it good luck.

Most of those who thought this way were newer to the darknet, the longer you were there the deeper you would delve and the less you were seen. So those who remembered [3] from a decade or so ago merely hid themselves away in their sanctuaries and did not tell these new animals about the dangers.

It used to be that a visit leaving only the sign [3] would be enough for sites to close down or halt activity for months. And that was only if [3] left any traces at all, the scariest thing for someone on the darknet was to lose their anonymity, and years in the past there were many incidents of consequences falling upon mammals who were so sure they were safe and unknown.

[3] was the username of one of the greatest technological geniuses of all time. A master of the digital world who could find anyone and anything, no matter what stood in their way. A mammal who used to work with the enigmatic and elusive Broken Clockwork.

Bakari leant on her elbow with a very bored expression on her face. She was tapping away with her other hand as pages of information scrolled past on her six computer screens. Now that Noct had returned, suddenly, everything she normally did for fun just didn't keep her interested anymore. Her mind was stuck in the past, remembering all the exciting things she used to do with Broken Clockwork.

Everyday had been another challenge for her and her skills, a problem she could push herself to her limits with. Nowadays she just browsed both the internet and the darknet, nothing was difficult for her.

With a sigh Bakari wished, not for the first time in the last few days, that Noct would contact her with some work he needed help with. Unfortunately, as she knew, it would take a while for news of Broken Clockwork to spread. After all the only people to know were herself and Mr Big, who was not in the habit of spreading information. The only sign that Broken Clockwork had returned was that tiny flickering light atop the doorway of their office.

Bakari's tufted ears twitched as she scrolled through reams of data, nothing interesting caught her eye. It would seem that no one had noticed that little light flickering in the darkness yet. If something didn't happen soon Bakari might just get so bored she had to… go outside.

She shuddered at the thought and curled up on her chair. No, something had to be done, and since no one else knew anything then it would be up to her.

Bakari quickly pulled up a tab and accessed the darknet. The information would spread fastest here, since it was here that most of Broken Clockwork's clients and targets dwelled. While most of the darknet was isolated and mysterious, there was one place common to all, a single message-board.

Bakari clicked her knuckles a few times and set to work, within ten minutes she had wrested administrator control of the message-board from whoever ran it.

 _Ten minutes_ she thought disappointedly  _I must be rusty_.

Bakari quickly wrote up a message, it had to be a bit subtle, she wasn't just going to shout to the world 'Broken Clockwork is back!'. Otherwise who knows who might turn up in front of Noct with a job, and she definitely didn't want to annoy the panther.

[3] – Nostalgia –  _pinned message_

**Beneath the shadows of the twins, a long lost light flickers in the dark, the clock that never chimes**

There were always eyes watching the message-board, new postings were never missed, especially ones that were pinned and thus would not be removed. Within minutes the post had been viewed over a hundred times. Since the post was pinned no one could comment or reply to it however many new threads appeared discussing the post.

There were many things about the post that attracted people's attention. The main one being that it had been posted by the mysterious [3]. [3] had always been drifting around the net but they had never ever done anything before. Conspiracy theorists abound and soon there were threads with hundreds of posts all picking apart the wording Bakari had used.

This wasn't what Bakari was looking for though as she idly scrolled through the posts. There was nothing that caught her eye for several minutes before she paused her scrolling.

[Bastille] Tick… Tock Tick

The light of the screens were reflected in the caracal's eyes as she slowly grinned.

* * *

 

Nick idly adjusted his tie, since Noct had returned the fox had found himself dressing in suit and tie as he used to with Broken Clockwork. He'd been wearing it all day and only noticed it wasn't his usual casual setup around lunchtime. Nick wasn't going to change but this did let him give Judy plenty of warning that she might want to dress up a little.

He had planned everything out with Judy the day before and she'd sent a message this morning stating that she had sorted everything on her end. Now, as Nick leant against the wall near the bottom of  _Moonlight_ , all that was left was for Noct to arrive.

He didn't check for the time, Noct was due to arrive at seven, therefore Nick knew that when the panther arrived… it would be seven. And Nick had arrived fifteen minutes early so he didn't have that long to wait. And if there was one thing that Broken Clockwork and god knows how many years spent hustling had taught the fox, it was patience.

Nick spent the time going over the plan in his head, trying to predict how Noct would react. That and simply watching the world go past. This was a hobby/skill drilled into him by the streets of Zootopia, any little detail you can pick up about the city and people around you could be vital to your own profit or survival.

Since  _Moonlight_  was away from any major centres, it  _was_  on the border of Savanna Central and the Rainforest District, there weren't very many pedestrians for Nick to watch so he was focussed on the cars driving past.

After coming to the conclusion, for the sixth time, that the mammal driving past was compensating for something, Nick was starting to get a bit bored.

It was then that he heard it, faint for sure, but it could not be denied. A deep, base rumbling in the distance. Nick's ears pricked up, the rumbling was rapidly building to a deafening roar as the vehicle responsible approached.

Nick almost missed it when it first appeared, the car was so sleek and low to the ground that parked cars could block it from view. He caught glimpsed of black flashes as the car drew ever closer but it wasn't till it was almost upon him that Nick got a good look.

A very good look in fact as the sports car pulled up right next to him at the base of  _Moonlight_. Nick nodded his head in appreciation as he ran his eyes along the bodywork.

"Like what you see" came a voice as the window scrolled down.

Nick raised an eyebrow as he saw the driver, Noct had an extremely smug expression on his face as he watched the fox's reaction. Nick wandered after him as Noct pulled the car round into the little parking area reserved for customers at  _Moonlight_.

"You really don't do things by halves" said Nick as Noct climbed out of the driver's seat "I don't recognise it, what make?"

"New Jaguar Z-type" said Noct leaning against the black sports car "I need to show some sort of species solidarity, right?"

"Well it's a damn fine car, that's for sure"

"You want one?" asked Noct, he chuckled at the shock on Nick's face "I reckon you have enough birthday presents stocked up to warrant it"

The panther watched a terrible war of emotion occur on his brother's face, desire, frustration, joy, guilt. Eventually Nick calmed down and sighed.

"Nah, I'll have to pass on that" he said running a paw along the side of the vehicle "it'd be difficult to explain where I got it from, pay's not bad as a cop but nowhere near this" Nick glanced over at Noct with a smirk "I wouldn't say no to taking this thing for a spin sometime though"

"You ever need a fancy car for a special occasion, just let me know"

Together, after Noct had locked up the car, they headed for the entrance at the bottom of the building. The entrance hall wasn't that special, Nick had never looked into what else was in the building but it seemed to be either offices or flats.  _Moonlight,_  on the top floors, was the most interesting thing in the building.

They had a little bit of good luck, the lift was waiting at the bottom and they walked straight in and hit the button for the top floor. They stood in silence as the lift slowly rose, nowhere near the speed of the elevator in the Chrysalis Tower, but Nick and Noct would often not say anything when they were alone, they could read each other well enough even without any words.

**Click**

"I know you are escorting me to make a good impression on JJ, but really?" said Noct glancing over at Nick from the corner of his eye.

"Well, that's part of it" said Nick a bit sheepishly as he raised his left arm which was now handcuffed to Noct's right one "buuuuut, I'm also trying to pull a hustle on Judy, so humour me okay"

"You need help hustling the rabbit?" asked Noct a bit sceptically.

"Judy is a sly bunny, honestly, I swear she must have some fox in her" Nick looked over at Noct confused as the panther snorted and suppressed a laugh "What'd you call her anyway?"

"JJ" said Noct calming down "unless you want me calling her Short-stack?" Noct rolled his eyes as Nick's hackles rose unconsciously "that's what I thought"

Even with the speed of the lift, they reached the top floor moments later. The doors opened to reveal the lush, shadowy scenery that made it seem like you had just walked out into the rainforest. Being a Sunday, the place wasn't quite as busy as it had been on the Friday when they had met up with Finnick. But  _Moonlight_  was rather popular and was nearly full anyway.

"Evening boys"

Nick and Noct turned to find Albert looking their way as he prepared a cocktail for the hyena sat at the bar.

"The usual?" asked the tapir as he picked up a tumbler and started to shake it.

"Like we'd have anything else" smirked Nick "Could you bring them to the Bamboo Grove? Our hands are a bit full"

Albert glanced at the handcuffs and snorted but waved them on through. The sight of two animals handcuffed together, but moving completely unrestricted, drew quite a few stares. However after seeing an angry, tiny fox with a baseball bat a few days earlier, the regulars were starting to get used to odd things happening in  _Moonlight_.

Nick found himself getting rather nervous as they approached the wall of bamboo, it took everything in him to remain calm enough that Noct wouldn't notice anything.

 _I could always pass it off as nerves about hustling Judy_  he thought before mentally shaking his head  _like Noct would fall for that_

By the time Nick had finished distracting himself with his thoughts, they had already walked through the bamboo. And then both the fox and the panther stopped thinking much at all. As Nick expected, and Noct certainly didn't, there were two mammals waiting for them, not one. And Nick and Noct found them so stunningly beautiful that it took their breath away. Nick's gaze was locked on grey and purple while Noct's was filled with white and icy blue.

"Bruma…" he whispered.

 


	16. Chapter 16

Noctis Lacerda was trained and conditioned by his family to deal with countless different situations. He could thrive in more environments than Zootopia could provide. He could take pain far beyond that which would shatter the mind of other animals. He was impossible to interrogate, threaten, bribe or persuade. His guard was always raised and he would not bat an eye, his heart would not even flutter, if the world suddenly exploded around him. All this his family had done to him.

And yet, stood next to his brother on the top floor of  _Moonlight_ , Noct was stunned. His mind was blank, his training gone, his instincts quiet as he stared across the bamboo grove. It was as if the rest of the world had ceased to exist beyond that wall of plants. The only thing that mattered right at that second was a female white wolf sat in the middle of the secluded courtyard.

Lunette was wearing a black and white striped sleeveless top with a long black skirt. It was an outfit Noct was very familiar with, she had worn it for many of their dates, and it only served to put the panther even more off balance. He had almost forgotten that there were two other mammals still present.

Nick had walked in quite casually beside Noct however all of his senses were in fact focussed on the panther beside him, waiting to see just how Noct was going to react. When he saw the sheer surprise and shock on Noct's face the fox couldn't help but grin inwardly. Unconsciously however he found his gaze moving off Noct to see just what he was looking at.

Nick saw Lunette and instantly knew what exactly had shaken his brother up so much. However, before he could even think up some sort of snarky comment, Nick's line of sight drifted slightly to the side.

Judy was wearing a short-ish purple dress, with an open back that matched her eyes. A small part of Nick remembered her mentioning it from one time she went shopping with Fru Fru. Another small part of him made a note to thank Fru Fru the next time he saw the mafia daughter. Mainly, though, Nick was stood in a very similar state to his brother next to him, his jaw slightly open as he stared at the beautiful grey doe.

Judy had been talking with Lunette, the wolf had noticed their new company first, and Judy grinned as she saw the shocked expression on Lunette's face. Looking in the direction Lunette was staring dazedly, Judy saw that Nick had successfully brought his brother as planned, Judy's gaze began to flick between the panther and the wolf's surprised expressions.

Judy was practically bouncing in her seat in excitement that the plan was working so far. A flash of silver caught her eye as she looked at Noct and her eyes drifted down to his wrist. A sly grin appeared on her face when she saw that Nick had actually managed to get a pair of handcuffs onto his brother. The silver handcuffs contrasted against the black of Noct's shirt and Nick's jacket.

 _Jacket?_  Judy thought slowly as she finally noticed Nick.

The bunny's eyes widened as she took in the full appearance of her partner. He was dressed in full black suit and tie and, despite how he used to dress in those garish shirts, the fox dressed up rather well.

 _Cheese and Crackers_  thought Judy as she came to the sudden realisation that Nick in a suit… was hot.

The silence lasted for nearly a full minute. By this point the shock to Noct's system had somewhat worn off. Not enough for him to be thinking properly however but enough for his conditioning to kick in. This situation was putting him under stress, therefore the first reaction is to escape said situation.

Despite how entranced Nick was with the rabbit in front of him, he was still paying as much attention to Noct as he could. The panther's dazed expression, the slight trembling, the twitch of his tail, all told Nick that he needed to be ready.

Noct's eyes were wide while his pupils were narrowed, he held out his left paw as black claws extended, and his arm flashed towards the handcuffs. There was a tinkling as broken pieces of metal hit the floor and Noct went free.

Nick had started moving the moment he saw Noct's arm shake, his hand reaching inside his jacket for his tranquiliser pistol. He had it out and ready just as Noct tore the handcuffs to shreds. The blank expression in Noct's eyes was one that Nick had not seen in a very long time.

 _This wasn't in the plan_  Nick thought worriedly  _I didn't think it'd hit him this hard_

Nick pulled the trigger but Noct's now free arm snapped up and grabbed the dart out of the air an inch from his fur. Noct shuddered slightly and some insight returned to his eyes. He glanced down at the dart held in his hands and then further down to the second dart sticking out of his leg.

"It's been a while since the Lacerda in me took over" Noct said shaking his head and pulling the dart out of his leg.

"NIIIICK!" came a pair of shrieks "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Nick and Noct both looked over to see Judy and Lunette staring at them in horror, the two males suddenly realised that what just happened may look slightly circumspect to anyone who didn't know the secrets of Broken Clockwork.

"Don't worry" said Nick putting away his pistol "It'll take a good three or four more of them to put Noct down"

"He's right" yawned Noct "one of those is just going to make me a bit tired"

Judy and Lunette just stared at the two of them in disbelief as Nick and Noct glanced at each other while scratching their heads.

"This wasn't quite how things were supposed to go" Nick whispered to his brother.

Thankfully something happened to interrupt the awkwardness of the situation. A door opened on the side of the wall nearest the bar and Albert walked out carrying a tray with two cocktails on it. He picked up on the slightly tense atmosphere but didn't say anything as he walked over to Nick and Noct.

Nick took his drink thankfully and savoured a mouthful of the delicious blueberry flavour. Noct downed his Brandy Alexander in one and put the glass back on the tray.

"You okay, Noct?" asked Albert in concern as he glanced at Judy and Lunette.

"Not right this second" whispered the panther "I think I need a few more drinks"

Albert nodded before focussing on the females "Anything for you ladies?"

Judy's tail wiggled as she sat up a bit straighter.

"Do you do Fuzzy Ca-"

"She'll have a Carrot Colada" interrupted Nick with a grimace, he wasn't going to allow a repeat of the last time Judy got drunk.

"Pornstar Martini for Bruma" said Noct "since I know you'll make it correctly" Albert nodded and headed back through the door "Oh, and I'll take some Moonlight as well" Noct called after him.

There was silence again for a moment after Albert left, nobody was really sure what to do, before Lunette walked forwards. Nobody was in any state to be hiding behind a mask at this point and the wolf's emotions were clear as day on her face. And each and every one Noct saw was like a razor slowly cutting away at his heart.

When Lunette finally arrived in front Noct she seemed to have settled on anger, something Noct could not blame her for. Her arm drew back sharply and Noct simply closed his eyes, he knew he deserved whatever she was going to do to him.

But no blow came, instead Noct felt a gentle paw on his cheek, but right at that moment the panther would have preferred a stinging slap.

"Do you- did you love me?" came the voice that Noct had dreamt of for months.

Lunette's mind had been churning as she approached Noct, thousands of questions and feelings all vying for supremacy. But as she found herself stood before him everything seemed to fade away, it was so simple really. There was only one thing that she wanted to know, the one purpose she had followed after him for… it wasn't his reasons, though she very much did want to know  _why_  he left. She just wanted to know if Noct actually loved her.

Noct shuddered at the words and opened his eyes to stare into Lunette's icy blue ones. And that was all the answer she needed. The pain, the sorrow, the guilt, the  _love_ … the expression in his eyes was exactly the same one she saw in the mirror whenever she was alone. He still loved her, it was still her Noct, her mate. She couldn't help it, Lunette caved slightly in relief and tears began to roll gently down her cheeks as she smiled slightly.

"Why did you go?" She asked quietly.

Everything looked like it was going okay, at least that's how it seemed to Judy, Nick however had a slightly different perspective. Simply from the slight trembling and twitches of his tail, Nick could tell a lot about how Noct was feeling. Nick could see the fear, the self-doubt bubbling up inside his brother, when faced with that question.

"Let's all sit down first" said Nick clearing his throat "then we can talk as much as anyone wants"

Noct nodded gratefully and moved to sit on one of the sofas, Lunette followed and sat next to him, Noct hesitated slightly before putting his arm around her. Lunette hesitated as well before leaning in to him, it had been too long since they had been together. Nick went and pulled a large armchair round to face the two of them and sat down in it, it was obviously designed for a far larger animal as Nick took up barely half the space.

There was a flash of grey and purple and suddenly Nick found that he had company, the chair was plenty big enough for both him and Judy, but she was pressed up against his side all the same.

Noct took in the look of panic on his brother's face and chuckled slightly, he felt a little more relaxed.

"So why did you leave?"

And now he no longer felt relaxed at all. Nick could see the panic rising in his brother.

"I can do the talking if you want" said Nick slowly "I was always the front man, remember"

Lunette glanced between Nick and Noct in confusion before a little light of understanding shone in her eyes.

"You know each other?" she asked Nick.

"Know each other?" scoffed Nick "Noct is my brother, he lived here in Zootopia for nearly seven years when we were teenagers before he had to leave around a decade ago" Nick couldn't help but laugh at the expression on Lunette's face "yeah, small world huh"

"So, this isn't the first time you've disappeared?" said Lunette quietly looking up at Noct.

The panther winced painfully and his right-hand claws dug deep into the arm of the sofa. Nick could practically smell the fear pouring off his brother, something he had never thought possible, and spoke up.

"Noct I can-"

"It's fine!" said Noct forcefully "I'll talk… if someone deserves to know about all this then it's my Bruma"

Noct relaxed his grip on the tattered arm of the sofa and wished that his next drink had arrived. Unfortunately there was no sign of the tapir yet so he just took a deep breath and wondered just where to start with this whole sordid affair.

"What's my name?" Noct quietly asked Lunette.

"Noct" she answered rather confusedly.

"My family name"

"Clement"

"No it isn't" said Noct sadly as he gazed into his mate's eyes "and that's where all the problems start"

Lunette felt a coldness inside at Noct's admission, she hadn't even known his real name, but something about his expression and tone of voice made her feel that there was something much bigger behind this.

"My name is Noctis Lacerda" began Noct slowly, each word seemed to be a struggle to get out "a fact that I regret every moment I am still alive. Judging from your expressions you have never heard of my family have you, Bruma? JJ?"

Lunette and Judy shook their heads, Judy didn't even mention the new name Noct had for her, though she filed it away for later.

"And I hoped you never would. I am the family head, the ultimate weapon, and sole survivor of the Lacerdas. One of the most successful groups of assassins in the world."

Noct smirked sadly as Lunette and Judy's eyes widened, Judy glanced at Nick but couldn't read anything from her partner's face.

"I will say this now however" said Noct sternly "I have never killed anyone in my life, nor will I ever, for two reasons. One, I despise the very thought of taking a life, I'll explain about that later. Two, it is the greatest insult I can think of against my family"

Lunette frowned, Noct's line of conversation was going all over the place, but so far his family seemed like a bad thing.

"Midnicampum Holicithias"

Judy's ears twitched at the name.

"Or as some people refer to them, Night howlers" Noct spoke in a very monotone way, this was edging on memories he did not like to touch "They are nothing new, the plants have been around for countless years. Do you really think that nobody noticed their effects on mammals before now? The Lacerda family can trace its ancestry right back to when predators and prey did not coexist, when tribes lived in the jungles and on the plains. We were shaman, wise ones,  _medicine men_ , we knew of Night howlers hundreds of years ago. The family's knowledge of plants and chemicals is ground breaking and decades ahead of the rest of the world…  _was_  ground breaking, hopefully most of the records have been destroyed along with the rest of my family"

Judy grabbed hold of Nick's arm and looked up at him. The fox was grinding his teeth, something she had never seen him do, clearly this was getting to him just as much as Noct.

"That was the reason I left Zootopia all those years ago, my family had angered too many people, or something stupid like that, and they were wiped out. I was a loose end even after I had escaped my family's clutches and people wanted me dead. That put Nick and our friends in danger so I left, for their safety and to see for myself that the Lacerdas were finally gone. Only then would I really be free… where was I going with this?"

"Night howlers" rasped Nick uncomfortably "so I'm guessing your childhood"

"Ah, right" Noct grimaced but looked down at Lunette beside him "I had the great misfortune to be the first child conceived to the previous head of the Lacerdas  _after_  their most controversial line of research was complete. They wanted the future of assassination, the ultimate killing machine, a member of the family moulded from birth to be nothing more than a weapon… You know what happened with Asra?"

Judy and Lunette nodded slightly absentmindedly as they tried to keep up with everything Noct was telling them.

"Well, from the moment I was born, I was… treated with a similar sort of drug, amongst many others. My body has gone far beyond the limits that should be placed upon it. I am stronger, faster, more durable, more agile, I have faster reactions, more powerful senses. My mind processes the world around me far faster and in more detail than is safe. In fact, none of those skills or attributes I just mentioned are safe. Not physically, my body was grown to withstand that sort of force and pressure. It's a mental issue, having a body like mine, just my senses alone are enough to drive a normal mammal insane"

Judy flinched and looked up, Nick's hackles were raised and he was growling slightly. Judy gently reached out and stroked his side, the touch rousing her partner from whatever he was thinking, he glanced down gratefully before focussing back on his brother. Noct reached into his pockets and pulled out a packet of black pills, Judy thought back to the ink-like hangover cure Nick had given her.

"If I do not take these Suppressors at regular intervals I would likely not be able to cope. And that is saying something as the various drugs administered to me throughout my childhood have dampened my sense of pain, as well as many of my emotions" Noct sneered "Feelings would simply get in the way, or so my family believed. Before I left the Lacerdas, more like escaped, and came to Zootopia, I did not think I was capable of feeling anything other than hatred. I cannot sleep for more than two hours at a time, and that will be enough for my body to function for up to three days. I cannot sleep during that time even if I wanted to. And when I do sleep my instincts create dreams of being savage, of living wild, of hunting and killing… I have killed enough in my sleep to never wish to do it in the waking world. My body is incredibly resistant to drugs of all kinds due to having been exposed to so many, it is ridiculously hard for me to even get drunk"

As if on cue the door that led to the back of the bar opened once more and Albert walked out with a more laden tray this time. Again, the atmosphere was tense but it felt a little different to the tapir. Albert didn't say anything and silently handed out the drinks, he could read the situation enough not to want to interrupt anything.

Judy tried her Carrot Colada and meeped in happiness, it wasn't quite a Fuzzy Carrot but, since Nick had ordered it for her, it was probably not as powerful. Lunette took a small moment to appreciate the fact that her cocktail had been made properly, vanilla vodka, passion fruit puree and liquor, sugar, passion fruit to garnish and a shot of champagne on the side. Noct set his Brandy Alexander down and looked at the shot of Moonlight in his other paw.

"This stuff" said Noct before downing the clear shot of alcohol "is the first drink I've found that can actually make me drunk within a reasonable amount of time. If I have to just drink these" Noct reached out for his cocktail "as much as I love them, it would take me a very, very long time to feel anything. All this my family did to me with their chemicals and their drugs and their experiments…"

There was silence as Noct stopped talking and sipped his drink. Nick already knew everything about Noct so none of this was a surprise however Judy and Lunette seemed a little shell shocked. Lunette opened and closed her mouth a few times before finally deciding on the words to use but…

"That was just the physical effects on my body from their drugs" continued Noct "This was compounded with brutal training that began as soon as I was big enough. This pushed my body far beyond any normal limits and caused me nothing but agony, this was on top of the drugs which, before I was about 9 and my sense of pain began to dull, also caused tremendous suffering. Along with this I was taught every possible skill an assassin may need to get close to their target and my memory is near perfect so I have not forgotten a single thing that occurred to me during my childhood years. I was conditioned…"

Noct glanced over at Nick, the fox had calmed down a bit with Judy at his side, but Noct could still see the simmering resentment in Nick's eyes. And he knew that this was mirrored in his own eyes as well.

"I was never considered a real Lacerda, I was a weapon and that was what they tried to make me. Hypnosis, drugs, all kinds of methods were both used on me and taught to me. My emotions, already diminished by the drugs, were eliminated. I would have become essentially a robot. In the end, though, their plans backfired. The main base of the drugs used were Night howlers, it was the ferocity and power of a savage animal that they wanted, but with the control of a sane mammal. As I said, my instincts were pushed into overdrive, and they actually protected a little part of my psyche. By the time I turned 16 I had overcome the conditioning my family tried to use on me, not that they knew. And then came the last two straws that broke the camel's back so to say"

Noct finished up his drink and looked at the glass. He reached out his other paw and extended his claws for everyone to see. They were hard to make out, matt black like his fur, and wickedly curved and sharp. Noct reached out slowly and rested one claw on the lip of the glass. In one smooth motion he pushed down and around and scooped out a chunk of glass. His claw passed through it like butter leaving a perfectly smooth cut. Noct held the glass out to Lunette who took it cautiously and ran her fingers over the cut.

"Once I turned 16 it was decided that I was ready for practical training, real world application of my skills… I was to kill. To this end, since my body had finished growing, they did one final thing. They coated each of my claws with some kind of alloy, as if it was one last taunt that all I could do was kill"

Noct held his paw up and just looked at his claws for a long moment before retracting them.

"That was enough, despite everything they had done, my entire upbringing only cemented a desperate desire  _not_  to kill anyone. So, for the first time, I used my training and I… vanished. I'm sure they searched for me, but I left no trail just as I was taught, and after some time they gave up. I'm sure they didn't want to, they had poured far too many resources into me, but they had also taught me too well, they never found a clue about me"

"When Noct arrived in Zootopia" said Nick attracting everyone's attention "I was the first person he met, saved my life actually, in more ways than one. Before now I was the only other person to know this much about him, and before you ask, it's all true. I've seen what Noct can do enough to know that fact"

Noct could see the hint in Nick's eyes as the fox spoke and knew that Nick had guessed what he planned to do. He felt a burst of warmth at his brother's action but he was riding the tiger now, he couldn't stop. Noct waved a paw and could see Nick's ear droop slightly, Judy could read the fox and looked back at Noct. Lunette's eyes had never left the panther in the first place.

Noct reached up and rubbed his eyes while muttering about 'Catalysts being a pain in the ass'. Judy could feel Nick stiffen next to her, but before she could wonder what was wrong Noct opened his eyes again.

Now it was Judy stiffening next to Nick, feral slit-like eyes stared back at her from the couch opposite, and, unlike with Asra, now she felt a danger just like when they faced Mr Manchas back in the Rainforest District. Lunette's eyes widened as she stared into Noct's savage ones, despite the shock and the heavy atmosphere they brought she didn't actually feel scared. It was like she was wrapped up in the night, Noct right now actually made her feel safe and protected.

Within a few moments, however, Noct's eyes trembled and returned to normal. He blinked heavily a few times before he sighed lightly.

"As Nick said, everything I have spoken of is true, that was the easiest way to prove it to you" said Noct suddenly feeling like he was running low on energy, not physically but mentally "I- I was going to stay in Los Antleres but the one time I wasn't going to move on… word got out that there was a Lacerda in the city. You should know the danger associated with that name now. I had begun to feel things again during my time in Zootopia but I had never felt love till I met you Lunette. I'd only just found these emotions when suddenly you were at risk because of- because of me" Noct paused and tried to put what he was thinking into words "I have been trained to remain calm in any given situation but just the thought of you being hurt because of me… well I didn't know how to cope and my conditioning took over, when I came to it was three days later and I was nearly a hundred miles away… so that was why I left… I'm sorry, but I was so scared about what could happen if I got in contact with you again… but you deserve to know just what sort of monster I am…"

Noct closed his eyes, he wasn't in any fit state to be watching how the others were reacting to his tale, though he knew exactly how Nick felt. He felt Lunette stir next to him and he trembled slightly, Noct was rather like his brother, they both had problems opening up to others.

Noct felt a gentle touch on the side of his muzzle and froze at the touch, he didn't know what this may mean. When he then felt a gentle touch on his lips though Noct's eyes shot open. Lunette kissed him slightly harder now that he had opened his eyes before she pulled back. The wolf leant her forehead against Noct's and began to murmur to him quietly. Nick couldn't make out what they were saying but Noct did something Nick had never seen before his return, he cried.

Judy's powerful hearing could however pick up Lunette's words and the bunny suddenly felt like she was intruding on something very intimate. Judy quietly climbed out of the chair and tugged at Nick's paw, the fox looked down and picked up what she meant. He slipped out of the armchair and followed after Judy to give Noct and Lunette some privacy.

The hyena had gone from sitting at the bar so there was plenty of space for Nick and Judy to choose from. Albert picked up the fox's nod and set about making some new drinks. Now that they were alone, relatively, everything started to crash down on Judy. A paw rested on her shoulder before her mind could run in too many circles however.

Judy looked over to see Nick watching her concernedly and she felt a little lightheaded under his gaze.

"You okay Carrots?" asked Nick quietly "I know that was a lot to take in"

"You could say that" said Judy slightly exasperatedly "though now I can see what happened to the handcuffs... did you expect all this to happen? Since you obviously knew about all this"

"Well not everything went as planned" said Nick as he accepted their drinks from Albert "but yes, I expected most of that, I figured that it was about time Noct talked about it all again. And if he really is serious about Nix then he had to tell her"

"I guess" sighed Judy, she regretted not moving her chair closer before she climbed up, she couldn't reach Nick from here "And all this is real?"

"Of course," smirked Nick as he sipped his Blueberry Daiquiri "Extreme physical training from a young age. Advanced knowledge and application of chemistry, biology and psychology. And a little black panther magic"

Judy giggled as she stirred her Carrot Colada. Nick suddenly realised that he was sat next to Judy, Judy who looked stunning. He hurriedly took another sip of his drink. The fox, normally so smooth, wasn't sure what to talk about. Unbeknownst to him, Judy was also struggling with the fact she was sat next to Nick, Nick who looked extremely handsome in a suit.

Albert was keeping an eye on them from the corner of the bar and couldn't help but grin to himself as he cleaned a glass. He'd seen thousands of mammals sat at his bar and he could read a situation just as well as the young Mr Wilde. And it was specifically Mr Wilde that Albert had not expected to see acting like this.

Though he may not openly show it but Albert cared deeply about Nick and Noct. So it was with great interest that he began to pay more attention to Judy. He'd already pieced together the relationship between Noct and the wolf from the two times he brought drinks. So he hadn't been expecting to see something happening between the fox and the rabbit. But happening it was, not that Albert thought either of the two had noticed much yet.

Judy and Nick slowly relaxed, the alcohol may have helped, and they soon didn't even notice how long they had left Noct and Lunette together. It was only when Judy checked her watch did they remember that, unless they left now, they would probably not make it into work on time the next morning.

Obviously having the same thought as Judy, Lunette and Noct reappeared as well. He had his arm round her waist and they both had smiles on their faces. Judy had to refrain from clapping, clearly things had gone well while they'd been alone.

After saying goodbye to Albert, and leaving some money (they couldn't take advantage forever), the four of them took the elevator out of  _Moonlight_. Judy and Lunette chatted a little while Nick and Noct were quiet, though they communicated just as much as the two females. Nick felt nothing but happiness for his brother as Noct filled him in on a few of the things from the evening.

Judy had driven Lunette however now it was clearly understood, if unspoken, that Noct would drive his mate home. Which left Nick catching a ride home with Judy, something neither of them was complaining about. Noct had of course parked in the little carpark located to the right however Judy had ended up parking further down the road to the left since Nick had never mentioned that  _Moonlight_  had parking.

Saying goodnight, though three of them would see each other again in the morning anyway, the four split up into two groups of two and headed for home.

* * *

 

Lunette stared at Noct's car in shock, she'd noticed the sports car the moment they entered the carpark but never thought that it might be Noct's. Back in Los Antleres, between Lunette's wage and the money Noct provided, the two of them had lived quite comfortably. However their income had been nowhere near enough to afford something as luxurious as this car.

Noct felt a little burst of pride at the expression on Lunette's face. He held open the door for her to get in, it took a few moments before Lunette shook her head and climbed inside. Lunette was just as stunned by the interior of the car as she was by the exterior and barely noticed as Noct pulled the car back onto the roads.

"How did you afford this?" she asked slightly dazedly.

"Well, as the last Lacerda, I technically have control over all the resources the family left behind in various places" said Noct not taking his eyes off the road "which is quite a lot. On top of that I worked with Nick for around seven years in the past and our services were rather expensive"

Lunette stared at Noct with wide eyes.

"What? Are you that surprised that I'm actually very rich?" asked Noct with a chuckle "I need some directions as well"

"Oh, left at the next turning" said Lunette quietly "I guess I am, you know how we lived back in Los Antleres, you just seemed… like someone who wasn't rich"

"That's because I wasn't" said Noct as he continued to follow the directions Lunette kept giving him "Unless completely unavoidable, I don't really want to touch anything left behind by my family, and the money I earned with Nick is all stored here in Zootopia. So when I was living with you, that was it, you saw everything I had. And that short time with you was one of the happiest periods of my life, no offence to Nick, even when we were low on funds"

Lunette wiggled in her seat with joy at Noct's words, if she wasn't sat down her tail would be wagging. There was silence for a few minutes apart from the directions she was giving Noct. He wasn't driving particularly fast, subconsciously he wanted the journey to last longer.

"So, Judy and Nick huh?" said Lunette rather nonchalantly.

Noct, for his part, showed no reaction as he carried on driving and glanced at his mate from the corner of his eye.

"You noticed that too?"

"I've been working with Judy, and occasionally Nick, all week. It's pretty obvious if you spend any real amount of time around the two of them. What do you think about it?"

"Well, you know I don't judge about that sort of thing, I mean look at us. And I like JJ, she's good for Nick, it's just…"

"Just what?" asked Lunette with a frown.

"Look Bruma, you now know all about how broken I am" said Noct wondering how much to mention since Nick wasn't present "well, my brother is just as broken as I am in some ways. I don't want to go into it any more than that, let's just say things will be a bit tricky for them, but I'm all for the two of them"

Lunette was going to say something else when Noct pulled the car up, Lunette glanced out the window and realised that they had already reached her apartment. Just as she realised that, the door opened, Noct had already gotten out and walked round to her side of the car. Shaking her head, the wolf climbed out and took Noct's proffered paw.

Lunette's apartment was located on the first floor of the building so it did not take them long at all to reach it. Noct hung around as Lunette cursed the finnicky key a few times before the door finally opened.

"I know you have work tomorrow" said Noct scratching the back of his head "So I'll let you get some rest"

Noct turned to go when a white paw shot out and grabbed hold of his red tie. Noct paused and turned back to look at Lunette. His eyes widened slightly, there was an intensity to her gaze that he had not seen since Los Antleres.

"In!" she said quietly but filled with a dogged determination as she pulled on his tie "Now!"

Noct's mind drifted back to the brief period he had lived in Los Antleres with Lunette. Before he realised it, he had been dragged into her apartment and the door shut behind him. Not that he was complaining in any way… he had missed his mate terribly, and now he could show her just how much.

 


	17. Chapter 17

Lunette was gradually waking up. She was warm and cosy, something was different about this morning, everything just felt perfect. There was a gentle touch running repeatedly down her spine from the back of her head that made her shiver in contentment. She rolled over and wrapped her arms around the mammal lying next to her. Lunette burrowed her nose into the fur of their chest and breathed deeply.

Her mate.

The scent was rich and earthy, like a dark rainforest, and distinctly male. It was just that it didn't smell like any mammal Lunette had ever seen before. Lunette opened her eyes and looked up at Noct, the panther was reclining on the bed with her chin resting on his chest. Noct did not smell like a panther, or any other feline, nor in fact like any other type of animal. It was a one of a kind sort of smell that Lunette had missed terribly.

"Good morning Bruma" purred Noct as he continued to stroke Lunette's back "sleep well?"

"Best night's sleep since you disappeared on me" said Lunette slightly drowsily, Noct's actions were threatening to send her right back to dreamland.

Noct twitched and paused his stroking, Lunette gave a little groan at the lack of attention, before he bundled the wolf up in his arms. Lunette's eyes widened slightly before closing contently as Noct began to lick her cheeks, pausing only to nuzzle her affectionately. Lunette sighed happily, this was something Noct used to do quite often. She was a little unsure about it the first time it happened, it was a more feline act of intimacy, however she soon found herself very much enjoying it. Feeling it again was like a little piece of heaven for Lunette.

Lunette glanced over at the bedside table, there was still twenty minutes till her alarms were supposed to go off, not that she was complaining. The wolf let off a little growl as she began to nuzzle back at Noct.

"You're up early" she murmured while running a paw though his fur.

"I never slept Bruma" said Noct slowly, pausing his licking to look down at her "I slept just over a day ago so I physically can't sleep again till tomorrow at the earliest"

Lunette tensed and her paws grabbed hold of Noct's fur "You always were the early bird up before me" she whispered.

"And I always will be" said Noct gently stroking Lunette's cheek "I've been thinking while you were asleep"

"Hmm?"

"I left Los Antleres to try and protect you, however, since I just can't seem to get away from you, I'll need to come up with something else" said Noct as he booped Lunette on the nose "Also I'm not leaving you to live in a rather run-down place like this, so move in with me"

"Really?" asked Lunette, her tail wagging against the duvet "are you sure? I know this isn't the best place but it's fairly convenient for work, only a ten-minute drive to the precinct"

"Oh I don't think you need to worry about that" said Noct with a grin "I live in Downtown, fairly sure I can see where you work from my window"

Lunette just leaned up and kissed him gently, that was all the answer Noct needed as he started to purr again. The wolf could quite happily have stayed like this, cuddling up against her mate, however time has a nasty habit of running out and Lunette's alarm started to go off. The wolf hurriedly reached out and grabbed it, if she let Noct deal with it he would probably just have smashed it into little bits.

Lunette groaned as she forced herself out of the wonderful warmth and snuggles that was her bed at that moment. She stretched a little before walking for the bathroom, hips swaying enticingly as she glanced over her shoulder.

"Care to join me?" she asked with half lidded eyes.

His response was a throaty rumbling that sent shivers running through Lunette's body.

"Don't tempt me" he said with a smirk "I'm afraid you would definitely be late, just wait till you see the bathroom at my place though"

Noct began to get dressed as he heard the sound of running water. This didn't take very long and he slumped back on the bed again, waiting for Lunette to re-emerge. He breathed deeply, the scent of his mate causing a burst of happiness inside him. He was almost using the scent to reassure himself that this was all real, there was nothing that could compare to his Bruma.

Noct chuckled slightly, he owed Nick big time, both positively and negatively. After all his brother was the one who had joined the dots and managed to reunite him with Lunette. Knowing that all three were cops, Noct had quickly pieced together how last night had been possible. Lunette had obviously followed after him to Zootopia and, of course, ended up working with Nick and Judy.

He had to give it to Nick, the fox had managed to keep the whole thing secret till the last second. Admittedly Noct's guard was down since there was no way he could have expected something like this to happen. No, he really did need to thank Nick and Judy the next time he saw them.

Noct grinned to himself, that wasn't to say that he wasn't going to get sweet, sweet revenge on his brother for tricking him like that. Noct had a feeling that Lunette would be all aboard for teasing the fox and rabbit relentlessly.

At that moment Lunette dashed back out of the bathroom and began to get dressed a little frantically. Noct just stayed out of the way and let her get ready before they departed.

"I could give you a lift in if you want, I think my ride is a tad faster than yours" said Noct with a grin as Lunette locked the door up behind them.

"Thank you but no" said Lunette rolling her eyes "do you know how much fuss you'd cause for me if I arrived at work in a Jaguar Z-type?"

Noct chuckled slightly as he pulled Lunette into his embrace for a kiss. Lunette groaned quietly and pulled back, she really didn't have time for this. Instead she hurriedly rubbed herself all over the fur of Noct's neck revelling in his scent.

"I'll see you later" she called as she ran over to her car and pulled away as quickly as legally possible.

Noct just stood there smiling as he watched her car disappear around a corner. He lifted a paw and gently touched his neck before bringing it to his nose. Lunette smelled of wolf, but this was contested with some more gentle scents that Noct could only describe as 'icy streams' and 'fresh snow'. He sniffed again and smiled, there was a faint aroma of orchids too, it seemed she still used the same brand of shampoo.

The panther shook his head, he didn't have time to stand there all day in a daze. He pulled out his keys and climbed into his sports car.

 _Asra should be far enough into the stable phase for me to get a good estimate of how well he is taking to the treatment_  thought Noct slowly growing more serious as he drove off.

* * *

 

Lunette arrived at the precinct the same time she always did. She may have seemed like she was late and in a rush but she arrived before Nick and Judy did. Lunette knew that sometimes she could misjudge her timings getting ready so simply planned her whole morning to get in to work extra early.

There were always other people around at the precinct though so it wasn't like she was entering an empty building. Looking up Lunette caught sight of Chief Bogo walking along one of the upper floors briefly. And of course Benjamin Clawhauser was always present on the front desk.

The chubby cheetah perked up when her saw Lunette walk in, he hadn't had anyone to talk to yet, and it was too early for there to be any criminals for him to extol the virtues of Gazelle to.

"Morning Lunette" cried Clawhauser waving cheerfully as the wolf approached "How was your weekend?"

"It was… wonderful" said Lunette smiling happily as her tail wagged slightly.

The cheetah sat up in his chair a little straighter and narrowed his eyes. He looked Lunette up and down, taking in her body language. He sniffed slightly and his eyes widened, a familiar twinkle appearing in them. Never having been on the receiving end of this before Lunette found herself feeling a little unnerved.

"O M Goodness" said Clawhauser raising his paws to his mouth "Who is he? Tell me everything!"

Lunette's mouth hung open slightly as she froze momentarily.

"Wha- How?" Lunette shook her head slightly "I said three words Benjy, how did you get that?"

"Well you haven't denied it" said Clawhauser as Lunette rolled her eyes "I've never seen you this happy, you are practically glowing this morning, and most importantly I can smell him on you. I may not be a canine, my nose isn't much use for most things, but there is no one better in the city than me at telling if my fellow officers smell like another mammal"

Lunette sighed, she'd expected the other wolves to pick up on Noct's mark, just not Clawhauser and not so early.

"I told you I was taken didn't I" said Lunette rather exasperatedly "it's just that my mate was missing for a while. It turns out he was here in Zootopia and knew Nick of all people. Judy and Nick pulled a bit of a blind date sort of thing and got us together in the same room again…" she paused and smiled as she remembered last night "and everything is wonderful"

Clawhauser was clapping his hands and seemed so excited that he had gone beyond the need to squeal. Lunette could only smile and wait for him to calm down again, at least this time her ears had been spared.

"So where did they take you?" he asked with a spare breath.

"We went to  _Moonlight_  out near Hill Street, Judy told me it was going to be us and Nick so we could get to know each other"

"Ooo, I've heard about that place, it's supposed to be fantastic, what was it like?"

"It was amazing" grinned Lunette "the décor is beautiful and I think Nick and my mate know the owner, I don't know much else since I was rather preoccupied with more important matters. Nick and Judy were kind enough to give us some privacy"

"Oh?" the cheetah grinned "so they left you two alone together, which means by process of elimination, they were alone together too"

Lunette just grinned back at the cheetah, suddenly a lightbulb flashed in Lunette's mind.

"Clawhauser? I know this is Zootopia and not Los Antleres buuut… and you seem to be the one who would know… I don't suppose there are any pools going on?"

"Why Officer Furle" said Clawhauser looking offended "I don't know what you are talking about, betting has no place in the police station" he glanced around before continuing in a whisper "how else do you think I keep sane working the front desk, there's a couple going on at the moment but I think there's one you'll be particularly interested in… I call it the Wilde-Hopps pool"

Lunette's eyes widened as her grin grew a little toothier.

"Put me down for twenty for within the fortnight"

Almost as if they knew they were being talked about, Nick and Judy chose this moment to walk into the precinct just as Clawhauser finished updating his pool with Lunette. Judy and Nick walked up to the desk.

"Hey Lunette, hey Benjy" greeted Judy full of her usual energy.

Nick gave his customary nod before he frowned slightly and drew a scent. He looked over at Lunette and an enormous smirk appeared on his face. The fox nudged Judy who looked up and saw the expression on his face. She was a little confused until she saw that the smirk was aimed at Lunette. A very similar grin appeared on the doe's face as Nick and Judy looked at Lunette.

"So, Nix, how was your evening?" asked Nick even though he clearly knew  _exactly_  how her evening had gone.

For once Clawhauser was on Judy's side and couldn't resist turning his twinkling gaze on the wolf as well. Lunette couldn't help it, she started to blush, adding a light pink tinge to her white fur.

 _Maybe I won't tease Judy quite so much_  Lunette thought to herself now that she was on the receiving end.

Lunette was worried this was going to continue till roll call however Nick seemed to have another idea. He shepherded Judy and Lunette towards the bull pen with an evil grin on his face. The only reassuring thing for the females was that whatever he was plotting clearly wasn't aimed at them. They had headed in earlier than usual, normally talking to Clawhauser would last longer, so the room was fairly empty as they entered.

Nick gestured for Lunette to follow when she made to take an empty chair near the back of the room. When they reached the front they discovered that Officer Mchorn was already there however he was sat a chair across than he normally did.

"Partners and colleagues who actively work together normally sit near each other in roll call" said Judy explaining where the free seat for Lunette came from.

Judy and Lunette watched Nick who was bouncing slightly in his seat next to the grey doe, even Mchorn was interested in what had the fox so excited. The rumble of footsteps could eventually be heard as the majority of the other officers arrived and headed for the bull pen.

Officers Fangmeyer and Delgato arrived first talking about the latest football scores, it was Tundratown vs Sahara Square. Next came Gizzoli, Snarlov and Francine Pennington, still not what Nick had been waiting for. Then Officers Wolfard and Richmond, two of the timber wolves on the force walked in.

Nick could barely contain himself as he watched them, Judy, Lunette and Mchorn all followed his gaze in confusion.

"Wait for it" said Nick quietly as the wolves walked further into the room "Wait for it" he could see their noses twitching "and three, two, one…"

Right as Nick finished talking, both of the wolves froze for a second before their ears dropped completely flat. Nick was banging his fist on the table as he struggled to contain his laughter. Judy and Mchorn glanced at each other in confusion, neither of them quite got what was so funny. Judy looked across to see Lunette looking rather embarrassed.

"Okay, what was all that Nick?" asked Judy quietly.

"That my dear Carrots" said Nick wiping a tear from his eye and trying not to laugh again "was the exact moment the other wolves all found out that my brother got there first"

Next to Nick, Lunette sank even further into her chair as if trying to disappear. Judy punched Nick in the arm but even that couldn't stop the waves of chuckles that wracked the fox. He had mostly gotten himself back under control by the time Chief Bogo arrived.

The cape buffalo took one look at Nick's face that was occasionally grinning uncontrollably and grimaced. He had known that the calm, professional Nick wouldn't last and decided to ignore the fox as much as possible.

Assignments weren't anything out of the usual, a few robberies and patrol for everyone else. Now that Nick was back on active duty again Chief Bogo could start the plan he had originally had for the fox, rabbit and wolf. Since Lunette was new to the city he had planned to leave the three of them on patrol for a period of time while rotating the districts that they covered. This way Lunette would get a crash course in Zootopian policing, while Los Antleres also had an intense training regime it did not have the advanced climate control Zootopia had, so while Officer Furle was fully trained she would at least need to experience all of Zootopia's environments for herself.

"Chief Bogo, sir"

The cape buffalo looked up, he had finished handing out the assignments and was packing away, Judy, Nick and Lunette had hung around after all their fellow officers had gone.

"What is it Hopps?" asked Bogo gruffly.

"Before the weekend, myself and Officer Furle ran into Duke Weaselton"

"And what was he up to this time?" sighed Chief Bogo.

"Running for his life, sir" one of Chief Bogo's eyebrows raised about 1cm, a clear sign he was deeply surprised "he was what led to the three arrests we made on Friday. I told the weasel to report to the precinct today for a statement or I'd have Nick track him across the city."

"Alright" nodded the buffalo after a moment's thought "you have two hours to wait for him, if he doesn't show then go find him, I trust Wilde can manage that" the fox gave a small bow as he smirked, Bogo snorted "Focus on this for today, those three are still in holding but they are refusing to talk even after being here all weekend, they are clearly from outside the city and I don't like it when criminals intrude on my city, we have enough of them to worry about anyway without adding more"

Judy gave a crisp salute and led the other two out of the bull pen. Chief Bogo put his paperwork down and massaged his temples, Wilde hadn't been a problem however the buffalo could tell that he had returned to his normal snarky self. That and the Chief of Police could feel something brewing in the city. Everything together, well, it just meant that his headaches were coming back.

* * *

 

They couldn't stay in the office since they wouldn't spot Duke if he were to arrive. So the main entrance hall seemed the best bet. Nick, Judy and Lunette decided that it would be for the best if they didn't hang around near the dispatcher's desk chatting with Benjy. The cheetah still had a job to do and they didn't want to distract him too much, Judy thought back to how long it had taken to get through to Clawhauser back when she and Nick were being chased by a savage Mr Manchas.

So instead the three of them chose to sit at one side of the hall on some of the chairs that lined the walls. Nick stretched out comfortably, since any species could be coming to the precinct the chairs were designed to accommodate mammals of all sizes, which meant the fox had plenty of room.

Judy glanced at him quickly, wishing she could jump up and share the seat, instead she settled with sitting in the chair next to him. They were working and she had always tried to limit any slightly more affectionate behaviour to when they were off duty.

Lunette sat on the other side of Judy and the three of them had a good view over the lobby, if Weaselton turned up they'd be the first to know.

Nick had put on his shades and could have been taking a nap for all Judy could tell. Lunette seemed lost in her thoughts which just left Judy on her own in silence. This was okay for a few minutes but Judy was a very active mammal, she soon began to wish there was something to do to pass the time, even some paperwork would be preferable. Unfortunately, since not much had occurred during her time working without Nick, Judy was already on top of all their reports.

 _For once_  she thought sadly  _I regret being so efficient_

"Alright" said Nick leaning against the side of his chair and taking off his sunglasses "I can tell Carrots is about to go mad, so how's things with you and Noct, Nix?"

Judy's ears perked up at this, of course Nick would notice her distress, he always did.

"We're good" said Lunette softly "not saying that everything wasn't a bit of a shock yesterday, but, we just slid back into how we used to be almost immediately" a bit of moisture appeared in the wolf's eyes as Lunette reached over the side of her chair and wrapped her arms around Judy "Thank you" she whispered "really, truly thank you. You don't know how much it means to me to have him back again"

Judy just smiled and gently patted Lunette on the shoulder.

"Well, I think my nose can tell how much it means to you" said Nick with a grin as Lunette let go of Judy and buried her face in her tail "OW"

Judy punched the fox in the arm again while glaring at him.

"Stop embarrassing her" said Judy sternly "And what has been up with you today? I haven't found much of it funny"

"Well" began Nick as he rubbed his sore arm "Since she is my brother's mate that essentially makes her my sister-in-law according to the old ways, so I reckon I'm allowed to tease a bit. And on the other note… I guess it's a canine thing, a lot of our culture is based around scent, even more so than with most other mammals. I can't really explain it but Wolfard and Richmond's reaction earlier was the funniest thing I've seen in weeks"

"Funnier than Finnick dressed up as a Junior Ranger Scout?" asked Judy innocently.

"Probably not" pondered Nick as he scratched his chin "that sounds absolutely hilarious" he paused slightly and glanced at Judy still looking around innocently, though now she was holding her phone "he didn't… did he?"

"Lunette can back me up on this one" grinned Judy evilly as she tapped her phone "and I have photographic evidence"

"Gimme!" said Nick as he reached out to grab Judy's phone but she held it just out of reach, after a few minutes of futile struggling Nick gave up for now "Alright, what'll it cost me?"

"Hmm" Judy rubbed her chin with the phone "You're buying lunch for the week and I get the choice of what we watch on Movie Night"

Nick winced slightly, well it had been brought up so it was time to tell her, he just wasn't sure how she'd take it.

"I can do the lunches" said Nick slowly while carefully watching Judy "but I'm afraid not on the movie front. In fact, we're gonna have to take a little break from it this week"

Just like he'd expected, Judy's ears instantly flopped down her back to match the shock in her eyes. Wednesday Movie Night was a sacred event that they hadn't missed once and Nick hated to be the reason for the first time.

"Why?" asked Judy quietly.

"My apartment is not entirely liveable right now, and certainly won't be on Wednesday" said Nick trying to keep his face calm and serious.

"Oh, come on Nick" pouted Judy "I know your place isn't the tidiest but you do a pretty good job with it"

"Actually, I'm more concerned about all the building work going on"

Nick waited a moment for his words to sink in and suddenly Judy was back to her usual cheerful self.

"You bought the apartment!" she shouted joyfully.

"Yup" grinned Nick "I am now a property owner, though I can't actually stay there for now with all the work, I'm crashing with Finnick for a few days"

"In his van? You could have asked me you know"

"I do know Carrots" sighed Nick a little exasperated "However  _you_  barely fit in your little cupboard of an apartment let alone a big bad fox" he raised a paw as Judy was about to say something else "I know I've stayed over before, but that was a one-night thing and I didn't need to bring enough stuff to last me a week"

Judy pulled her knees up and started sulking slightly, she couldn't fault Nick's logic and that was what annoyed her.

"Something up Nix?" asked Nick looking past Judy "your tail twitched, don't tell me you live in a shoebox apartment too?"

Judy glared at Nick once, she knew he was making conversation to cheer her up, before turning to look at Lunette interestedly.

"I'm not sure" said Lunette slowly wondering how to go about this.

"Fairly simple test Nix, does it have more than one room?"

"I don't know" Lunette chuckled slightly at the confused looks on her colleagues faces "my current place is not bad, bedroom, lounge, kitchenette, bathroom, it's got pretty much all I need. It's just that… well, I'm going to move in with Noct, but he says he wants it to be a surprise so I haven't seen where he lives yet"

Judy's face lit up as she bounced in her seat while clapping her hands.

"That's wonderful" she said happy for the wolf "when are you moving? Do you need any help?"

"Tomorrow evening, Noct said he'll find a van or something to carry everything, and it's fine, I'm sure we can handle everything"

"Nah, don't worry about that Nix" said Nick interestedly "We'll swing round and give you a hand, besides, you're not the only one who wants to see Noct's new place"

Judy and Lunette started to chat about the move, among other things, Nick leant back in his chair and just let them get on with it. Looking up at the big clock that adorned one of the walls, Nick saw that it had been about twenty-five minutes. No sign of Weaselton but it was early days, and if he didn't show then they'd just have to go to him.

To be honest Nick wasn't holding out for the weasel's appearance. As someone on the wrong side of the law in the past, Nick could understand exactly how Duke must be feeling about walking right into police headquarters, Precinct 1. The fox was already prepared to have to go find Weaselton out in the city but he didn't hold it against the small-time crook, he wasn't sure if he would have had the courage to walk into the precinct in the past, even if he hadn't done anything wrong.

Nick frowned as he followed this line of thought, he was almost certain Duke Weaselton wouldn't show up, so he may as well get a bit of a headstart. Nick pulled out his phone and sent a text to his brother, it wasn't for Noct, Nick just needed the panther to pass the message on to someone else.

Nick wanted Weaselton's phone number, and there was only one mammal he knew that could find it quickly, it was just that he hadn't spoken to Bakari since Noct disappeared. Thankfully this didn't seem to be a problem as Noct texted a phone number back a few minutes later. He pulled up the new number and started to send a message.

Judy glanced over as Nick stood up, he'd been busy on his phone for quite a while now.

"Come on Carrots, let's get moving" said Nick with as stretch, Judy found her eyes following his tail as it twitched to and fro.

"Go? Go where?" asked Judy but she stood up all the same, confused Lunette joined her.

"Weaselton was never going to come here Fluff"

"Why? He hasn't done anything wrong?"

"Doesn't matter" said Nick shaking his head "someone would notice, and then he'd be branded a snitch, and believe me that could be the end of the line for him. Anywho, I've set us up a meeting with him in a more out of the way location"

"How'd you manage that?" asked Lunette curiously as they headed for the door.

"Oh it's simple" Nick smirked as they walked outside "I know  _everyone_ " Nick glanced down at Judy walking next to him "So how'd I do? Think this warrants letting me see that picture yet?"

Judy tapped her chin a few times "I'll think about it" she said before skipping off ahead of them towards the car.

Nick chuckled, his eyes following Judy's every movement without him even noticing.

* * *

 

Noct had snorted when he'd gotten Nick's message, he knew that even if the fox had gone legit, Nick was still Nick. Noct had been expecting requests for help with police work, just not quite so soon. Luckily, since he was busy, it was something for Bakari to handle. Noct hadn't mentioned Nick, the anti-social Caracal had a bit of a love-hate friendship with the fox so Noct figured everything would go quicker if he just left Nick out of the equation.

Even though it was something rather trivial for her, Bakari had been more than happy to dredge up Duke Weaselton's current mobile number. For her this was just the start, Broken Clockwork's return was starting to spread amongst those who remembered, pretty soon Noct would start getting requests once more. Requests that would surely need Bakari's skills and would stop her getting bored.

Noct passed the information back to Nick. He smiled slightly when his brother said that he and Judy would come help Lunette move. Noct didn't question how Nick knew, in fact he always worked on the assumption that Nick would find things out sooner rather than later. Noct knew that Nick wanted to come see where he lived, partly for the panther but also because Judy and Nick had said they would come visit Asra.

Asra.

Noct frowned and looked across the room he was in to look at the jackal pup still lying unconscious in his pod. The panther leant back in his chair with a sigh as he tossed the clipboard of notes he was reading to the side. The treatment had not taken particularly well, a small part of Noct had expected that to happen, the damage left behind by the drug given to Asra was just too extensive. Not even the multiple layers of treatment Noct had prepared was enough to stabilise the boy's body.

There was only one option left, something Noct had prepared for but really did not want to subject Asra to. Noct lowered his gaze to the work surface in front of him and looked at the plastic packet lying there with a very complicated expression on his face. It was the same as all the other packets that Noct had connected to the IV stand. The only difference was what it contained.

The packet was filled with bright crimson fluid, from a glance it almost looked like fresh blood, though Noct knew it certainly wasn't. Though to be honest, after everything he was subjected to in his childhood, his own blood may be more similar to the fluid in that packet than he liked. If you were to look closely you could see that the deep, bloody red liquid had a dull shimmer to it. Not shiny but it provided a certain contrast to the solid block of colour. It also allowed you to make out movement in the fluid, the liquid was actually roiling within the packet, giving the impression that it was volatile or high temperature.

It certainly wasn't, this was the complete serum that Noct was administered everyday till he was sixteen, it was a completely stable mixture unlike the stuff Asra was subjected to. While the most dangerous research of the Lacerda family would have been destroyed when they were wiped out, this didn't mean the data was lost completely. The family research was an important facet of Noct's education, and he literally could not forget it if he tried. Mixing up a batch of the completed drug was simple providing he had the resources and equipment required… which he did.

Noct knew there was no other way to save Asra but a little bit of him was still hesitating. He'd done the maths, with Asra's condition he should only require a single day's worth of the concoction. After that, the boy's body would have been strengthened enough to eliminate any negative effects of the drug, and the positive effects would only get stronger. The only problem was that, and Noct knew from experience, the drug was extremely painful to take.

Even in his sleep Asra would not be able to escape the pain and there was nothing Noct could prepare to ease it for him. It had taken the panther nearly nine years before his training and the drugs had dulled his sense of pain. Asra was only going to be exposed to it for 24 hours but that would be a day's worth of agony.

The problem was that, no matter how much Noct did not want anyone else to experience what he went through, he knew there really was no other choice. The packet seemed to stare back tauntingly at the panther.

Noct stood with a growl and swiped it from the work surface, waiting wasn't helping anyone, the sooner Asra got through this the better. He slowly walked over to the pod where Asra lay, the IV drip was empty, as it had been for nearly a day since Asra reached a stable period in the last treatment.

Noct's paw trembled as he held out the packet and connected it to the drip stand, memories of the pain flashed through his mind. Slowly the shimmering blood-like fluid slid down the tube and into Asra. Noct pulled a chair up and sat watching the jackal and the screen attached to the pod. Barely ten seconds in and Asra began to whimper in his sleep. Then he began to toss and turn, seeing this Noct frowned and hurriedly reached for a series of clasps within the pod. The panther was more than strong enough to hold Asra down so that he could secure the jackal in place. Noct sat back in his chair and took a deep breath. Asra was still unconscious however his face was twisted in pain.

Then the screams started. Noct stared fixedly at the computer screen, focussing on Asra's vitals, as his claws tore long grooves in the arms of his chair.

 


	18. Chapter 18

Nick had insisted they take a civilian car rather than one of the police cruisers. Even though he had arranged to meet Weaselton in a safe location, the less attention they drew the better. Unfortunately Judy's car, while big enough for Nick to fit, was a little small to get Lunette in as well.

Luckily Lunette also drove to work so they were all sat in her small, blue car. Small for the wolf at least, it seemed pretty spacious to Nick and Judy. Nick was in the front giving directions while Judy slouched in the back looking out of the window. It felt a little odd to the doe to not be in the front seats in some form.

They were driving through Savanna Central and heading for the coast. Not the area near the Zootennial Stadium where Gazelle did the concert Nick and Judy had gone to, that was far too busy and built up, they were heading for the coast near the border with the Rainforest District. Harbour Street was around there and the location was one of Zootopia's major ports.

The scenery around here was made up of dockyards and warehouses, there were few mammals around. In one of the grimier areas Nick got Lunette to pull over into an alleyway between two warehouses. They all got out of the vehicle but Nick immediately began to search along one of the walls before Judy could ask what was going on.

It took him a few minutes, but eventually Nick found what he was looking for, engraved on one of the bricks was a very small gear. Nick grinned and reached a paw to tap the brick.

"Tick… Tock, Tick… Tock… Tick, Tock, Tick… Tock, Tick… Tock…" as he spoke, the fox was walking down the alley tapping on bricks following his uneven tempo.

Stopping at one brick that was identical to all the others he tapped it a few more times and seemed happy with what he heard. Inching it out of the wall a few centimetres at a time with his claws, Nick finally pulled the brick out revealing an empty space behind it. Reaching into the hole Nick fished around a little bit before pulling out a pair of keys that he waved at Judy as if they explained everything. Judging from her expression, it didn't.

"This place was one of Broken Clockwork's safe houses" said Nick tossing the keys in the air a few times "No one really comes out this way which is why I managed to convince Weaselton to meet us here"

Nick led the way through the alley to the back of the warehouses. There was a single door and Nick made a beeline for it. There was a click and the door opened, it was a little stiff but nobody had used it in around a decade.

"So now we just need to wait for Weselton to arrive" said Judy with a little grin.

"It's Weaselton!" came a muffled reply from what sounded like one of the dumpsters nearby.

"And there he is" the rabbit continued as her grin grew larger.

"Sly Bunny" said Nick appreciatively "You knew he was here?"

"Dumb Fox, I heard him the moment we walked out of the alleyway"

Nick couldn't help but snicker as Duke Weaselton pushed open one of the dumpsters from the inside and clambered out. Lunette wrinkled her nose and turned her head away slightly as the weasel approached.

"Oh don't worry your little head wolfie" said Weaselton "nobody's used those dumpsters for their intended use in years, now can we go inside? I know this is out the way but I don't like open spaces"

Nick nodded and led the way inside, it was dark for a moment before the fox flipped a switch and the warehouse was bathed in light. The majority of the building was filled with crates and boxes, the area closest to the door, however, was set up like a small apartment. A sofa, some camp beds, portable TV, mini-fridge and stove, everything you needed really. Nick disappeared between a couple of crates and returned with some extra chairs.

"What is all this stuff?" asked Judy curiously.

"That's… well" Nick scratched his head a bit sheepishly "let's say it's resources"

"Resources?" asked Judy narrowing her eyes, Nick was starting to regret his choice of location.

"Oh my"

Everyone looked over at Lunette, the wolf had walked up to one of the crates and levered the top off.

"What is it Lunette?" asked Judy, deciding the wolf would be far more cooperative in answering her questions.

"Oh, not much" said Lunette slowly as she stared down into the crate "just what looks like industrial quantities of many different chemicals"

Judy looked back at Nick, her eyes wide and her ears quivering, Nick hated that expression on her, made his heart ache something awful.

"Noct is a chemist remember" sighed Nick "hell, with what he can do I'd call him an  _alchemist_. If he doesn't take his suppressors bad stuff happens"

"So?" asked Judy carefully.

"So where do you think he gets them from?" said Nick shaking his head "he has to make the stuff himself, and that means he needs base resources. We have supplies dotted around the city, one of the good things is the stuff isn't going to go off, so he can just pick up from where he left"

Judy looked less shocked now and there was a little understanding in her eyes, but Nick could still see the frown on her face.

"Don't worry Carrots, nothing here was obtained illegally, Noct has all the relevant permits and licenses to own all this stuff"

"Noct is back?"

The three police officers looked over to find that Weaselton had already made himself at home on one of the camp beds. He was looking over at Nick with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, he's back in town again" said Nick with a grin as he flipped one of the chairs backwards and sat down leaning on its back.

"Huh" said Weaselton with an odd expression on his face "Well, uh, say hi to him for me…"

Nick just grinned slightly wider for a moment as Lunette and Judy took the sofa. The rabbit glanced between Nick and Duke a few times with a confused expression on her face.

"This sounds strange to hear me say" Judy said slowly "but are you two  _friends_?"

Nick and Duke's heads snapped round to look at Judy in shock.

"Who'd ever want to be friends with a crooked weasel like him!?" said Nick looking at Duke and grimacing.

"Feelings mutual Wilde" spat Weaselton.

"Still" said Nick as Judy just continued to direct her laser-like stare at him "I may go so far as to say we're 'acquaintances' I guess"

"Agreed" said Weaselton looking away "Noct saved me from a pretty bad jam back in the day and Nick? Well… there's always a  _bit_  of respect between smaller mammals trying to make their way in the underworld, even if this one went and became a copper"

"Helps that Duke, while actually breaking the law, doesn't do anything that goes against my bottom line" said Nick "speaking of which, what have you been doing recently? You normally know better than to get caught in situations like that"

Judy pulled out a notebook and got ready while Weaselton wiped a paw down his face.

"The only reason everything went south was because things happened that were out of my control" said Weaselton slowly, focussing on Nick rather than the fact he was talking to three police officers "I'm freelance, you know that, but one of my regular clients was a gang based out in the Rainforest District and the Canals. I think they worked in some of the other districts too but they were pretty small scale. They'd get in touch when they planned some burglaries that required my special touch, that was all I did with them, mainly houses for jewellery and the like, or occasionally a hardware store"

Judy hesitated before deciding not to write down anything incriminating about Weaselton, he  _was_  risking his neck to help them out, she found that she didn't want to have to arrest the guy at end of this.

"About six months ago something changed, the gang started to grow, making bigger moves, larger targets. My simple little burglaries looked like they were starting to turn into full blown heists, still nothing big enough that it would attract lots of attention to them, but you could see that the amount of planning going on had increased" Duke paused and frowned as he thought about what he had just said "to be honest, looking back, that was probably the moment I should have pulled out. I stuck around, it was profitable, but then the problems started. I began to have less contact with the guys I would usually deal with, these new mammals I didn't recognise took over, it was around then that I figured there had probably been a 'rearranging' of the gang's leaders. The jobs they had for me started to escalate, it was reaching my limits and I didn't like the way the new guys treated me. It was like they thought of me as just another one of their goons to order around, the old gang always respected that I was freelance" Weaselton's face fell "Then I reached the point where I'd had enough, they came to me with a new job, not sure what it was as I didn't look into it too much, all I know is that it involved drugs. I don't touch drugs"

"You stole Night howlers" said Judy raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, before I knew some crazy sheep was using them to send mammals savage, okay? I wouldn't have touched the stuff otherwise. I'll say it one more time flopsy, I don't touch drugs!"

"Like I said" spoke Nick with a stretch "Duke does have  _some_  standards"

"Screw you Wilde" said Weaselton, relaxing slightly "anyway I said no to the job, next thing I know I'm being told that I don't have a choice since I work for them. I did not like how things were turning out so I scarpered. One long chase later and I run into flopsy the copsy and her friend here, that bring you up to speed?"

"Is there any other information you can give us on this gang?" asked Lunette seriously, she knew that he'd already given them quite a lot but every piece of information counted.

Weaselton looked around the room, a little uncomfortable as he considered this.

"Look, I, I can tell you where I met with my contact once, not the main location, they could pin the blame on me" he looked over at Nick "occasionally, only once or twice, we'd meet in the alleys behind Connor's Arms out in the Canals. I just don't know if they still use it… can I go now? Or are you gonna arrest me?"

Nick glanced over at Judy who was still writing down some notes, the quick twitch of both her ears was a signal they had for when she needed to answer but was too entrenched in her work.

"Just get out of here" smirked Nick "you going to be ok? I doubt these guys are happy with you right now"

"I've got my ways, Wilde" said Duke as he quickly made his way for the door "just like you"

Nick snorted and shook his head, the weasel was right, while they may have different contacts and hidey holes, but Nick knew few other mammals who could disappear into the cracks like Weaselton. Duke paused by the doorway and looked back over his shoulder.

"Hey Nick" the fox looked over at the sound of his first name "say thanks to Noct again for me… and listen, the old gang I worked with? They were alright by your standards, I reckon they are in a far worse situation with their new management than I was. Especially their  _accountant_ "

And then the weasel was gone, no doubt off to slither into a hole somewhere, it wouldn't be a surprise if no one saw Duke Weaselton for a month or so. Judy and Lunette started to talk over the information they had gotten. The grey doe looked over to ask Nick his opinion on part of it when she saw the expression on his face.

Nick looked very thoughtful and slightly confused, like there was something right on the tip of his tongue but he just couldn't figure out what.

"You okay Nick?" asked Lunette as she followed Judy's gaze.

"Accountant…" muttered the fox before looking up "Hmmm? Yeah I'm fine, I just… accountant? Why their accountant? Why is that important to… me" Nick's face fell and he began to frown worriedly "Accountant, it would have to be him wouldn't it? I can't think of anything else Duke could mean"

"What's wrong Nick?" asked Judy, she could practically feel the confusion coming off him "did you find a lead?"

"No, maybe? I just, I think I might know one of the mammals in the old gang Duke spoke of" said Nick uncertainly "I just really hope I'm wrong, I mean, Duke's warning was very vague…"

Nick looked at the door where the weasel had disappeared just minutes ago before turning and joining in the conversation about the information Duke had left for them.

* * *

 

It was late, a dark cloudy night as the mist and fog of the Rainforest District spilled over the border, and  _Moonlight_  was illuminated by the gentle mood lighting that Albert had hidden throughout the plant-life. Last orders had been and gone and so had closing time, the tapir was alone now in the bar, he had just finished collecting the last glasses and tidying the place up a bit and was about to start clearing the bar.

He was facing the back of the bar as he tidied up the hanging bottles of alcohol and gave things a quick clean when he heard the familiar swish and ding of the elevator. Albert frowned slightly but didn't turn from what he was doing.

"I'm afraid we're closed now" said the tapir slightly annoyed "and I would advise against any funny business"

There was a deep chuckle from behind him and Albert paused in his cleaning.

" _È stato troppo lungo_ , I don't suppose you have time for an old friend?"

Albert stood up straight and put down his cloth, he had not heard that voice in quite a long time but he could never forget who it was. Turning around he saw, as he knew he would, a huge polar bear in black turtle neck and suit jacket holding a tiny chair. Sat upon it was an arctic shrew, impeccably dressed, and giving off an aura of power just as intimidating as the bear holding him.

"There is always time for you sir" said Albert bowing his head briefly as he hopped over to the counter "To what do I owe the honour? And hello to you too, Koslov"

"Am I not simply allowed to visit those I consider family?" chuckled Mr. Big lightly as the bear holding him nodded a greeting.

Albert smiled slightly, while that may be the case he felt there was something more to this surprise visit, Mr. Big would normally send some sort of notification. But he also knew that the crime lord had his reasons, he would certainly tell Albert when it was time. Koslov walked forwards and gently placed Mr. Big's chair down on the counter before sitting on one of the bar stools, the bear's eyes constantly flicked around the room.

"Relax Koslov" said Albert as he reached under the bar and began to pour something, he pulled up a glass of something and placed it in front of the polar bear "on the house"

Albert snorted, his trunk twitching, as Koslov shook his head at the proffered drink and continued to monitor the room.

"It's just pineapple juice" grinned Albert as he watched the bear's eyes flip back to the glass in front of him "and you know my place is safe"

Koslov nodded gratefully and picked up his glass of juice. Next Albert collected a set of specialised equipment, exactly the same as what he would normally use to make cocktails but barely a tenth of the size. Despite his rather chunky fingers as a tapir, Albert expertly manipulated the tiny beakers and shakers as he prepared a very small drink for Mr. Big. There was silence except for the tiny tinkling of tiny glasses as Albert worked.

"One Classic Martini, stirred, no ice, with lemon to garnish" said Albert handing a very small martini glass to the shrew sat before him.

Mr. Big took a sip and his whole person seemed to relax " _Delizioso_ , to be honest with you, Albert, this was the main reason I came today, nobody can quite make them like you"

"My pleasure sir" said Albert thoughtfully "is something wrong? You seem… tense"

"Things are… complicated right now" sighed the mafia boss "mammals are moving in the shadows and getting ideas above their station… I don't suppose you would consider returning to the family again, Albert?"

Albert smiled and shook his head, nearly every time Mr. Big visited he would ask that question.

"I'm afraid not sir" said Albert gently "you've been doing fine without me, and I can't put Louise through all that again. Besides, I'm just a bartender, always will be. Of course, you are always welcome here at  _Moonlight_  sir"

Mr. Big smiled as well, this back and forth question and answer was almost a routine between the two of them by now, so he sipped his martini and pursued it no longer.

"I expect he has already been here"

Albert looked up and pondered what Mr. Big meant for a moment. Just a moment, it didn't take long to figure out who the shrew was talking about.

"Yes, Noct has been here several times" said Albert with a wide smile on his face "Nicky as well, along with their lady friends"

There was a splutter from Koslov as he nearly choked on his pineapple juice and he gave a rather sheepish look at his employer. Mr. Big didn't say anything about it, to be fair he was just as shocked as the polar bear.

" _La Innamorata?_ " asked Mr. Big carefully "You know Nick and Noct better than most, so you should know why that sounds a little… surprising"

"Of course I do" said Albert reaching under the bar and pouring himself a shot of Moonlight, he toasted briefly before knocking it back "but I'll be damned if that wasn't what happened. From what I could gather Noct met a female while he was out of the city, it seems pretty serious as well, I think she followed him back here to Zootopia. Beautiful white wolf she is, anyway I think Nick and that rabbit girl of his got them back together again, seemed like a tense reunion sort of deal when I took them drinks" Mr. Big's eyes glinted but he did not say anything "but, I mean, Noct was always the one I expected something to happen to eventually. Nick on the other hand, now that  _was_ a surprise"

"Nick?" asked Mr. Big incredulously, now this he really couldn't believe "What about him?"

"I have seen countless mammals sat at the bar in front of me, I've seen every emotion there is to see put on display here, from hatred to love and affection" said Albert a little misty eyed "So I did a double take when I saw Nick sat there with a pretty grey doe, I don't think I've ever seen Nicky look at someone that way before, what was her name? Hopps I think, the cop he works with now, July?"

"Judy" said Mr. Big quietly with an odd expression on his face "her name is Judy and she is family" now it was Albert's turn to looked shocked "she saved Fru Fru's life and dragged Mr Wilde around like she owned him… I must admit I was getting worried, she clearly has some sort of attachment to the fox, I thought I would need to sit down and have a talk with her. But you are actually saying that Nick… feels the same way?"

"Early days" said Albert with a shrug "but it's more than I've seen in the gone fifteen years I've known him. To be honest, I'm more impressed with the girl, never seen anyone manage to move Nicky like that before"

"Judy certainly is an extraordinary mammal" agreed Mr. Big " _Scioccare_ , I should trust my daughter more, Fru has been going on about those two for months but I never thought anything of it given Nick's… circumstances"

There was silence for a long time as Albert let Koslov and Mr. Big enjoy their drinks, the tapir busied himself with doing the last bits of tidying up.

"What…" Albert paused for a moment not looking at the other two mammals "what are your opinions on the boys… choice of companions?"

"You mean about interspecies relationships?" asked Mr. Big with a chuckle "I thought you knew me better than that Albert. Family comes first, Judy is family, so is Noct, and, despite his best efforts to prove otherwise, I cannot seem to escape the fact that so is Nick. If they are happy then  _I_  am happy… besides… one of my uncles was an elephant shrew"

Albert smiled wryly, despite being a cold and ruthless business mammal, he should have known that Mr. Big wasn't one to judge those close to him.

"My wife is a panda" said Koslov as he cleared his throat.

Albert stared at the polar bear in shock, partly at his admission but also simply because Koslov actually spoke up. Mr. Big could not help but laugh lightly at Albert's expression.

"Well, at least there will be a safe harbour for the boys" said Albert sadly "I'm just a bit worried for them, the rest of the city isn't as accepting as we are"

"That is very true" said Mr. Big as he finished his drink "it is unfortunate that they are police officers, I cannot do much without hurting their reputations if they are found connected to me"

Mr. Big waved to Koslov who picked the shrew up once more, chair and all, and moved to leave after nodding to Albert. The shrew obviously gestured at Koslov because the polar bear paused and turned back to face Albert.

"Of course" said Mr. Big with a cold smile "if anyone really tries to mess with my children then I will make my move, reputations or not, good night Albert"

"Good night sir" said Albert bowing his head briefly once more as the sound of the elevator was heard.

That was certainly something that the tapir agreed with, Albert smiled grimly as cleared up the last pieces so that he could finally go home to his wife,  _nobody_  was going to get away with messing with his boys.

* * *

 

Chief Bogo had been very pleased with the information Weaselton had provided. Patrols were increased in the Rainforest and Canal Districts and there was word of organising a stakeout for the alley behind Connor's Arms. Not that this had anything to do with Nick and Judy, now that the blip with Duke Weaselton was out of the way they were back to escorting Lunette around Zootopia's different environments.

Tuesday had been slow so far, today the three of them were patrolling Sahara Square. They had to take a cruiser out there since it was far too far from Precinct 1 to walk. But on the other hand, the cars were wonderfully airconditioned since they had to work in all of Zootopia's districts. So Lunette wouldn't get any benefit from driving around, other than learning the streets better.

Lunette had taken Judy's advice and brought Nick in a blueberry pie, the fox had been more than willing to give up his week driving in favour of the wolf, so Lunette was the one who had driven them out to the desert, so to speak. Judy had been very firm in making sure that their parking spot had no chance of getting them a ticket, that was something she had never let happen again since her first day.

Leaving the comfort of the car behind the three of them advanced on foot for the day. Nick and Judy were doing absolutely fine. Judy had aced her training through hard work and perseverance, adding on to that the fact that she had been working in the city for three quarters of a year now, and Judy was more than capable of dealing with everything Zootopia could throw at her weather-wise. Nick on the other hand, well, he was born and raised in Zootopia. He'd never actually left the city before so he had 32 years worth of living, working, hustling, and surviving in every part of Zootopia. The fox looked far too relaxed and at home in the blazing sun for Lunette's tastes.

And Lunette? Well, she was flagging a bit. She was definitely more of a winter mammal shall we say, Tundratown sounded lovely to her right at this moment. She had certainly trained to deal with a desert-like environment, however Los Antleres had a vastly reduced set of environments compared to Zootopia, it was rare to deal with something outside an urban setting. And Zootopia was far ahead of the game in climate control, Sahara Square was literally like being in a desert and training for desert _-like_  situations didn't quite cut it.

Still, Lunette was doing okay, she was certainly stubborn enough to hang in there and power through till she adapted. She was certainly panting a lot but Tuesday was slow so far so they hadn't needed to exert themselves in the heat. About the most exhausting thing they had to deal with was greeting people on the streets, a fox and rabbit pair of police officers meant only one thing in Zootopia, and a lot of mammals  _still_  remembered the missing mammal cases that Judy and Nick had solved.

They picked up some lunch from one of the many street vendors that were dotted around. Nick paid, Judy still hadn't shown him that picture of Finnick yet and the fox wasn't going to give up till she did. Plus Nick still felt a little guilty about having to cancel Movie Night, though he knew it'd be worth it once everything was done.

Judy finished her meal in under a minute which shocked Lunette a little, Nick was already far too used to Judy's faster metabolism. It was at this point that someone further down the street they were on shouted "THIEF!".

Judy's ears twitched as she took off into the distance. Nick sighed, this was a common occurrence when the two of them were walking patrol, he shoved the last mouthful of the burrito he bought into his mouth and set off after her. Lunette looked down at her own burrito, there was definitely too much left to do what Nick did. She took one last bite before running after Nick and Judy, along the way she regretfully tossed the rest of it into a bin she passed.

 _Nick's buying all week_  Lunette thought to herself to try and cheer herself up  _I'll just order something extra nice and expensive next time_.

Lunette's longer strides let her catch up with Nick again though Judy was still ahead. They could only watch as Judy talked to the victim briefly, a young female wildebeest who pointed across the road, they all saw a black bear ducking into the alleyways carrying a large handbag.

Nick and Lunette veered off course and headed for the alleyway, thankfully there was a break in traffic so they could cross without worry, but even so Judy still managed to get there before them.

"What the hell?" said Nick almost to himself as he rushed into the narrow alley after Judy.

The black bear had already reached the other end of the alley, it was a T shape so his only options were to run to the left or right. He had, however, chosen a third option. With a speed and agility that seemed out of place, the bear was currently scaling the far wall, powerful arms launching him further up before he grabbed the upper ledge and flipped over and out of view.

Judy gritted her teeth, the bear wasn't getting away  _that_  easily, not on her watch. She leapt up onto a dumpster beside her before catapulting herself off it to her right. Her powerful legs flexed as she pushed off the right hand wall of the narrow alley and then repeated the action on the left hand side. Nick shuddered as a tingle ran down his spine as Judy rapidly reached the height of the far wall and vaulted over it as well after the bear.

 _Oh god-fucking-damnit not now_  Nick thought frantically.

"I'll take left, you take right" Nick shouted over his shoulder at Lunette before peeling off towards the left.

Lunette nodded and split off to the right, hopefully one of the routes would let them quickly regroup with Judy. Both of the routes were exactly the same it turned out, Nick and Lunette almost immediately ended up back on main streets. Turning in the respective directions they ran around the corner and began searching for Judy. The pavement was fairly empty here so they spotted her stood between them holding the handbag.

"Don't do that to me again Carrots" said Nick a bit reproachfully as they joined her "I can't keep your back if I'm not there"

"Sorry Nick" said Judy her ears drooping slightly "I got a little carried away"

"So where's the perp?" asked Lunette looking around "I mean, you got the bag so…"

Judy frowned and looked down at the handbag in her paws.

"I didn't get the bag" she said slowly holding it up so that her colleagues could see the snapped handle "the guy dropped it, or rather broke it"

"What do you mean by that fluff?" asked Nick seriously, the whole thing seemed a little strange to him, especially since his hustler sense off.

"He didn't seem… right" said Judy with a puzzled expression as she tried to explain her thoughts "like his movements were wrong, like he wasn't used to his own body. He tore the handbag without even noticing, by the time he did I was already over the wall as well, he gave up on the bag and disappeared into the crowds on the other side of the street"

There was a gloom hanging over the three of them as they headed back to the wildebeest to return her bag. Judy was down that she actually let a criminal escape her like that. Nick had a very bad feeling about the whole thing and was getting more shivers down his spine as he thought over it all. Lunette was just rather tired from running in the heat and the other two's moods were getting to her.

Returning the bag cheered Judy up a bit, they had done the important part even if the criminal had escaped. Thankfully, as far as Lunette was concerned, nothing else of importance happened for the rest of the day. So no more running around when it was far too hot for that sort of thing. The wolf was very happy to see their cruiser again when they finished their shift, air conditioning was a feat of the gods, or so she thought at that moment in time.

"What are you smirking about now Slick?" asked Judy as Lunette started the car.

Nick had perked up again and had his trademark grin plastered across his muzzle.

"Oh I was just thinking, we get to go see where Noct lives now" said Nick grinning wider "it better be fancy or I am going to judge the hell out of it"

 


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, so with this chapter we are caught up with everything I have written so far, now it'll be down to how fast I keep writing

Duuun Dun.

A flash of red and black against a brown background.

Duuun Dun.

A fluffy tail rose above the surface of a sea of cardboard boxes.

Duuun **Dun** Dun, Duuun **Dun** Dun, Duuun **Dun** Dun, Duuun **Dun** Dun.

The terrifying monster of the deep stealthily approached its intended victim.

Judy leant over to her right as Nick pounced and the fox ended up missing and rolling across the floor to collide with yet another cardboard box.

“You could play along a bit Carrots” said Nick feigning annoyance as he looked at her upside down from where he was lying.

“Oh no” said Judy in complete monotone as she carried on packing “A shark, whatever will I do”

“What happened to all the ‘blood, blood, blood and death’” said Nick with a grin as he righted himself “you’re so good at that”

“Too much left to pack Slick” sighed Judy as she looked around the room that was full of packed, partially packed, and empty cardboard boxes.

A part of Judy wondered what might have happened if she’d let Nick catch her but there really was too much left to do.

It had taken a while, first they had to drive back to the precinct from Sahara Square, then Nick and Judy had to make their way home to get changed, but they had finally made it to Lunette’s apartment. Only to find that there was quite a job waiting for them.

Lunette had brought, well, pretty much everything she could when she had moved out of Los Antleres. As she explained it, her car was filled to the brim, there had barely been enough space in the vehicle for Lunette herself. This translated to quite a lot of packing for Nick and Judy to help with.

Judy was very helpful to have, she was good at making lists and keeping everything organised, things were certainly proceeding more smoothly with her around. Nick, on the other hand, was of less help. He certainly _could_ be organised but he was having too much fun messing with Judy. At the very least he was an extra pair of hands, could move things Judy couldn’t, and did listen to what his partner told him to do… mostly.

Lunette was currently in the kitchen dealing with everything there, she had already cleared the bathroom and bedroom, that just left the living room which was Judy and Nick’s responsibility. Occasionally she would stick her head round the corner to see how the other two were doing but mainly Lunette just left them alone and listened to their conversations with a grin on her face.

With Judy’s help, and Nick’s to a smaller degree, the process was actually going a lot faster than Lunette had anticipated. She just hadn’t told the other two this, the slightly stressed Judy was, if anything, only getting faster at packing as time went on. Lunette had to admit that Nick and Judy made a good team for pretty much anything, he kept pace with the accelerating rabbit and helped to reign her in if she got too zealous.

“When is Noct due?” Lunette stuck her head back into the living room at Nick’s question.

“Last message I got said that he had been dealing with some things with Asra” said Lunette admiring the amount of packing that had taken place since the last time she checked “He should be here pretty soon, he just needed to go pick up the van”

“He didn’t give a time, did he?”

“No, he didn’t” said Lunette returning to the kitchen and leaving Nick to grumble to himself about how Noct always took forever if he didn’t specify a time.

Thankfully Noct didn’t quite leave them waiting for all eternity, there was a knock on the door about an hour later, coincidently just as Nick and Judy was filling up the last cardboard box in the living room.

Lunette, Nick and Judy went to the door after a moment as Noct didn’t enter, he was leaning against the wall opposite with a briefcase, waiting for them when they opened it.

“The van is as close as I could get it” he said as he tossed a set of keys to Nick “I have one little thing to take care of then I’ll be back to help”

Noct gave Lunette a quick kiss on the cheek before he disappeared up the stairs at the end of the hall. Nick shook his head and went to check out the van while Judy and Lunette went to start carting the boxes outside.

Upstairs Noct made his away along the first floor till he found what he was looking for, the landlord’s office. The ground floor apartments were all smaller than the ones in the rest of the building, one of the reasons why Lunette managed to find the place at short notice, but the landlord wanted a bit more room so had put his office on the first floor.

Noct knocked on the door twice before walking straight in carrying his briefcase. The landlord, a bristly looking capybara, looked up from behind his desk rather annoyed at the disturbance.

“Now who are you just barging in-“

Noct interrupted him by slamming his briefcase down on the table.

“I am here on behalf of miss Furle from apartment 4” said Noct with an amiable smile on his face “I am here to let you know that she will be moving out as of today”

“Now hang on just a minute you can’t just-“

“I am well aware of the inconvenience this will cause you” interrupted Noct again, still very friendly and polite “especially since her contract has only just begun” Noct clicked open the briefcase and turned it round to face the capybara “I believe 10,000 should be enough to make up for any losses you will make while waiting to find a new tenant”

Noct waited a moment but the capybara was just sat staring at the briefcase full of cash sat in front of him. Smirking slightly Noct left the room before the landlord made any signs of moving and went back downstairs to assist with moving Lunette’s belongings.

When Noct finally started to help out everything got a lot quicker. About three or four times faster in fact as the panther could carry three or four of the boxes at once, the only restriction being the size of the door frames he had to get through.

Judy and Lunette decided to stop and leave it to the boys, it was quite the sight for the females watching Nick and Noct doing all that heavy lifting. Lunette would probably have teased Judy religiously if she had seen the rabbit’s face as she watched Nick, but Lunette was too busy watching her mate with a similar expression.

Judy was so entranced watching Nick’s not normally noticeable muscles bulging through his t-shirt as he lifted boxes into the back of the van, that she didn’t notice that he had stopped and was looking at her.

“See anything you like Carrots?” asked Nick with a large smirk.

Judy blinked once as she processed what he just said, unsure how to react she listened to her instincts and fled saying something about ‘checking the apartment again’. Nick watched her go amusedly, yep very funny that was, he definitely wasn’t trying to distract himself from Judy’s reaction, no way he could read her.

“Don’t tease her so much if you aren’t interested” joked Lunette from the side.

The wolf had been expecting playful banter from the fox, not for Nick to flinch like she had slapped him. Her eyes widened in worry as she saw the pain on Nick’s face that he didn’t manage to hide. The moment only lasted a few seconds and then Nick leapt a foot into the air as he yelped.

Noct had appeared behind the fox and yanked on his tail. Nick turned on the panther angrily but paused as the two pairs of emerald eyes met. There was silence except for Lunette fidgeting nervously. Eventually Nick’s eyes softened and he sighed.

“Yeah, yeah, I know” he said as he waved a paw at Noct dismissively “back in a sec”

Nick slowly wandered back inside after Judy and Noct walked up beside his mate as he watched his brother go.

“What was that?” asked Lunette quietly.

“I told you things were going to be difficult with them” said Noct sadly “some mammals have emotional issues, Nick’s is also… physical. Judy is good for him, I just hope it’s enough”

Noct put his arm round Lunette and she nuzzled into his shoulder as they waited for Nick and Judy to reappear. It didn’t take too long before the two of them came back, it would seem this wasn’t the first time Nick had cheered up Judy as, whatever he had done, Judy was smiling just like normal. Perhaps it was all a good thing as Judy had found a couple of books and other knickknacks hidden away in some corner of the apartment.

Noct watched his brother carefully for a second but Nick seemed fine again. Shaking his head Noct gave Lunette one last squeeze before letting go of his mate. After confirming that everything was packed into the van, Noct closed up the back of the vehicle securely and then gestured Nick over to him. He whispered a few things in the fox’s ear before he hopped up onto the side of the cabin.

“Okay” Noct said to the other three “You guys follow after me in Lunette’s car, I’ve given Nick directions in case we get separated”

Now Lunette and Judy understood why Nick was standing there looking like he’d just seen a ghost. Noct opened the door and swung into the driver’s seat, turning on the van as he waited for the others. Nick blinked a few times before slowly turning his head to look at Lunette and Judy with one of the biggest, smarmiest, shit eating grins that the wolf had ever seen.

“You know where it is” hissed Judy as she narrowed her eyes at him.

“I know where it is” sniggered Nick “now let’s go, I can’t wait to see the looks on your faces when we arrive”

Judy didn’t stop glaring at him but still climbed into the back of Lunette’s car. Nick took the passenger seat once again as Lunette took one last moment to look back at her apartment. She hadn’t been there very long, and the landlord was a bit of an arse, but it was the first place she had lived outside of Los Antleres. Just the simple fact that Lunette had escaped from that city made her apartment better than a 5-star hotel in her mind.

But being able to live with her mate once more was a far more attractive idea than her apartment would ever be. Shaking her head Lunette climbed into the driver’s seat and turned on the car, Noct was checking his mirrors waiting for the others to start and he began to pull away in the van.

“Is Noct allowed to drive that thing?” asked Judy to no one in particular as Lunette started to follow Noct, the thought had just popped into her head “don’t you need a different license?”

“Oh I wouldn’t worry about that Carrots” said Nick twisting in his seat to look back at her “unlike myself, who was rather rusty with my driving since I never needed it before this job, Noct is fully trained and licensed to drive just about any vehicle you can name”

“Bikes?”

“Busses?” asked Lunette interestedly.

“Yup to both”

“Diggers or heavy machinery?” added Judy.

“Any kind you might need”

“Trains?” chimed in Lunette.

Nick just turned to look at Judy with a grin and mimed pulling something as he went “Toot Toot”.

“Boats?” asked Judy running out of ideas.

“Bit vague there, Fluff” chuckled Nick “but yes, many kinds of boat”

“Planes?” asked Lunette, partly proud of her mate and partly trying to find _something_ that Noct couldn’t operate.

“And helicopters” answered Nick with another smirk.

“TANKS!” shouted Judy almost angrily.

There was silence and Lunette chuckled.

“Nice one Judy” she said focussing her attention back on the road and the van they were supposed to be following.

“No it wasn’t” said the doe staring at Nick with narrowed eyes “I know you Nicholas Wilde, out with it”

“You, uh, you can’t get a license for driving tanks you know” said the fox rather sheepishly as he looked out the passenger window “it’s just that one time we did a job at some big shot’s private villa right on the outskirts of Zootopia and our planned method of leaving the premises was… no longer viable. So Noct may have commandeered a tank to get us out of there, just a small one, but he seemed perfectly at home driving it”

“Commandeered!?” blurted Lunette her paws tightening on the steering wheel “That implies there was already someone driving it!”

“Well yeah” said Nick rather nonchalantly “not like a tank could stop Noct anyway”

“Who the hell has a tank in Zootopia!?” shouted Judy, eyes wide.

“Oh, you’d be surprised” said Nick seriously as he sat back in his chair “Mr. Big for one. Don’t underestimate what the rich and powerful have at their fingertips here in Zootopia, Carrots. Thankfully there is an ‘arrangement’, nothing crazy is allowed within the city, it’s all stored in private mansions and places on the outskirts”

Judy and Lunette were silent for a while as they tried to digest this, it was like a window to a completely different world had been opened in front of them, Judy looked at Nick realising that there was still far too much that he knew about Zootopia that she didn’t.

They were somewhere in Downtown now, Nick knew where they were going, Lunette didn’t know the city enough to recognise where they were, and Judy had been completely distracted by the conversation. So the fact that Noct turned the van off the main road and then they started to go down underground didn’t mean much to the girls. To be honest with the amount of skyscrapers in Downtown Lunette had figured that there was a fairly high chance Noct lived in one of them.

All three occupants did raise an eyebrow when they passed by the normal parking area and saw a sign saying ‘PRIVATE’ that Noct went straight past. Noct pulled the van up to one side and waved an arm out of the window gesturing for Lunette to pull round him. Following this Lunette drove round the van and Noct’s Jaguar Z-type appeared in view. The private parking area was large enough to contain at least another five or so cars with plenty of space around them, so there was more than enough room for Lunette to pull up.

“Come on up” said Noct who had made his way to stand by the private lift as the others got out of Lunette’s car “I’ll give you guys the tour first, I’ll get someone to come down and deal with the boxes later”

“You got servants or something?” asked Nick suspiciously as the lift doors opened.

Noct just grinned toothily as he wrapped his arms round Lunette and, once everyone was inside, double pressed the ‘up’ button. Noct could feel that Lunette was a little tense and took one of her paws in his. The lift started moving rapidly like it always did, Noct was used to it but the sudden acceleration nearly knocked Judy off her feet. Nick reached out and steadied her without even noticing.

Judy noticed.

She felt a little warm inside that Nick had her back no matter what was happening. She looked up at Lunette and Noct stood opposite her and the little warm feeling disappeared instantly. Lunette was watching her with that horrifying twinkle in her eyes and, even worse, Noct was grinning at her as well with a very similar expression.

 _Dear God in heaven let this elevator stop soon_ Judy thought feeling a blush work its way up her ears.

Almost as if some deity had indeed heard her pleas, there was a ding and the elevator stopped moving. Judy was first out of the gate to Noct and Lunette’s amusement, Nick seemed a little lost at the whole thing. Judy quickly forgot, or at least pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind, about how Lunette and Noct had looked at her. She was much more interested in what was here, or rather, what wasn’t.

The hall directly outside the elevator was completely bare except for the lift on one side and a single doorway opposite on the other. Noct took the lead and fished out his keys, Lunette noted happily that this lock did not stick like her apartment had had a habit of doing.

Noct opened the door and walked inside grinning to himself. After a brief hesitation Lunette followed after him, Judy and Nick had both noiselessly agreed that she should be the first one in after Noct.

Currently the apartment was dark, some small mood lights dotted around the place gave a little soft illumination but not enough to get a good view of everything. Directly to their right was a large alcove, there were plenty of hooks for coats and jackets, a few of which were used. There was a door to their left which, when Nick stuck his head in curiously, led to a fancy looking toilet.

The three officers proceeded further into the apartment, almost immediately the room opened up massively, though everything was still very dark with black walls surrounding them on three sides. They could just about make out Noct stood in the middle of the room, his green eyes shining in the dimness.

“Welcome home” he said simply as he pushed a button on a little remote held in his right paw.

Starting from the bottom left most corner, like a veil being lifted, the ‘black walls’ began to turn transparent. Gentle, orange, evening sunlight began to fill the room and, other than Noct who was facing away from it, everyone had to cover their eyes and adjust.

“Sweet Cheese and Crackers…”

Judy was the first to recover and that was about all she could say to the view that greeted her. There was a quiet gasp from Lunette and Nick was just standing there with his muzzle hanging open. The setting sun painted beautiful oranges and reds across the cityscape of Zootopia. Judy wandered up to the window and leant her head up against it as she tried to take in more of the incredible view of the city she loved. Nick moved to stand next to her as he looked around, mumbling under his breath as he recognised the many parts of the city on display. Lunette just turned to look at Noct in shock, the panther had a warm, loving smile on his face as he gazed back at her.

“How high up are we?” asked Nick when he found his voice properly though he didn’t take his eyes off the view.

“Well you _can_ go up again” smirked Noct as he watched Nick and Judy by the window “but you might want a jacket, it gets a bit breezy out there”

“You live at the _top_ of Chrysalis Tower?!” this time Nick did tear his attention away from the window to stare at his brother incredulously.

“This is Chrysalis Tower?” Judy’s head snapped round to stare at Noct as well.

“Shall we sit?” asked Noct as he flopped onto one of the many sofas and cushions.

Lunette sat next to him and seemed rather out of place perched on the edge, Judy recognised how the wolf had been reacting when she had first met Fru Fru, but Noct reached out and pulled Lunette down next to him. She froze for a second before cuddling into his side happily. Nick took a flying leap to land on one of the extra-large cushions and Judy opted to sit on one of the beanbags she had spotted dotted around.

“Yes” said Noct before anyone could start asking questions “I own the penthouse suite at the top of Chrysalis Tower”

“Not renting?” asked Nick almost hopefully.

“Nope, it’s mine. As, technically, is most of the tower itself. Having majority ownership was the only way to do whatever I wanted with the place”

“Your brother owns Chrysalis Tower” said Judy to Nick a little dazedly.

“Hey, it’s not that impressive” said Noct “Nick could have easily lived somewhere similar… if he’d pulled any of Broken Clockwork’s assets out”

Nick avoided Judy’s sudden glare like the plague, he paused to frown at Noct slightly, Judy had just about forgotten all that, distracted by the work he was doing on his apartment.

“Come on Nick, it’s not that surprising” said Noct gently stroking the back of Lunette’s neck “you know the sort of world that we operated in”

“I know, I know” said Nick with a sigh “it’s just been a very long time since I’ve dealt with this sort of thing”

“You can go explore JJ” chuckled Noct as he watched Judy bouncing around on her beanbag as she tried to take everything in “And you Bruma, you live here now anyway, should probably see what you’re in for” Noct looked down at Lunette and grinned.

The two females jumped to their feet, they looked around a little confused, obviously they weren’t sure where to start.

“Tell you what” said Noct from where he was sat “I’ll walk you through it” the girls looked at him in anticipation “That room over there under the overhang” Noct pointed to the first door you would come to on the right when you entered “is the kitchen” Nick and Noct chuckled as the girls dashed across the room.

Judy couldn’t help but notice, when they stepped inside, that the kitchen was at least four times the size of her own apartment. Shining chrome appliances mixed with a beige-ish work surface wrapping round the edge of the room, upon closer inspection Lunette let out a little gasp, the whole thing was polished limestone containing thousands and thousands of tiny shells. A dining table took up the centre of the room that could easily seat six moderately sized mammals, and even with that there was still plenty of space to move around in.

“You know” said Nick back out in the living room “I don’t see a TV anywhere, you can’t have forgotten that, right?”

Noct just grinned and picked up the remote he used to control the windows, with a button press the window Nick was facing faded back to black. The fox’s face dropped as he had a sudden premonition of what was about to happen, glancing round the room quickly he saw the speakers dotted around the corners, just in time for Noct to push another button on the remote. With a small bleep the now blackened window flashed and suddenly some sort of cooking programme was being shown as if Nick was now at the cinema.

“You know what” said Nick slowly as he glanced at his brother “I’ll give you that one, that is pretty damn cool”

Noct was going to reply but at that point Judy and Lunette returned from the kitchen.

“Next room along is the wardrobe” he said giving some more directions.

Lunette and Judy set off again but only got about three steps before they turned to stare at Noct.

“The next _room_ is the _wardrobe_?” asked Judy slowly.

Noct just waved them on, Judy and Lunette glanced at each other before entering. There was a brief pause before…

“Niiiick!”

Nick’s head snapped round at Judy’s voice, he was tensed lying on his cushion, partly ready to rush over to his partner, partly completely aware that Noct’s place was safe.

“What is it Carrots?” he shouted back in concern.

“There are clothes other than that shirt and tie Noct always wears!”

Nick’s eye twitched for a second, partly annoyed at the bunny, partly glad nothing was wrong, partly amused to hear that.

“Those are work clothes” chuckled Noct “but you can use as much of the space as you like Bruma, now the last room downstairs is an office but I literally haven’t used it so it’s all yours, you can make it all police-y or something”

Since there weren’t any of Lunette’s clothes in the house yet they didn’t spend too long in the wardrobe and quickly moved on to the office when Noct mentioned it. It was reasonably small, still larger than Judy’s entire apartment, and had a desk, a computer, various storage and filing cabinets. Lunette loved it, she’d never had a place with her own work space before and Noct had just said it was all hers.

Nick and Noct got up once the girls were done exploring the downstairs, Noct felt he should make some effort as the host, he pressed another button on the remote to make the window TV see through once more. He led the way upstairs, this floor was split into two parts, a bar lounge outside, and the bedroom and bathroom inside. It was, as Nick quickly went to find out, a fully stocked bar that Albert would feel right at home in. He reached into one of the fridges and snagged a beer for himself and one that he tossed across to his brother. Nick used the bottle opener attached to the bar but Noct just sliced the top off the bottle with a claw and took a swig.

Judy and Lunette just watched them a little exasperatedly and shook their heads before heading into the bedroom. It was impressive. A huge bed took up most of the space, at least three polar bears would be comfortable on it, but there wasn’t much else in the room. There were suitable bed side tables and the wall to their left was another huge bay window. There was no TV or anything like that, though Nick eyed the window with a sneaking suspicion.

The bathroom was the pièce de résistance, Noct had a smirk on his face as he followed the others inside. He found them all standing with open mouths, not that he could blame them, he liked water and had splashed out, so to say, on building this en-suite. There was a standard though stylish sink and toilet, but those were clearly not what had everyone’s attention. There was a bath, designed for several hippopotamuses from the looks of things, it would not be surprising if all four of them could go for a swim in it. Along with the bath there was also a hot tub next to it that could easily accommodate eight or so mammals, and from the amount of buttons located on the side it seemed to have a lot of interesting settings. The far end of the room was blocked off by a screen of glass, on closer inspection it turned out that that entire part of the bathroom was in fact one enormous shower.

Watching the others’ expressions Noct couldn’t help wandering over to it and showing off his pride and joy. The shower functioned perfectly normally but could also be separated into three different streams of water, had a wide setting on the roof that simulated rain, or a waterfall. Then there were all the nozzles built into the walls that could surround you with mist or make it seem like you were in a whirlpool while standing up. And that was just the water, there was mood lighting, ambient sounds or music, and even gentle fragrances to complete the experience.

“I need to get one of those for my place” said Nick in a bit of a daze, he didn’t even notice Judy nodding her head in agreement slowly.

“Way ahead of you Nick” smirked Noct as he walked back “since you didn’t want a car I had to spend all your birthday presents on something right? I think your bathroom is due to be done on Thursday”

Nick raised an eyebrow in pleasant surprise, he was now very glad in getting his brother involved in the whole situation with his apartment.

“So that is that” said Noct leading the way back out into the main part of the penthouse “There are some other rooms but those are more… personal”

“How so?” asked Judy curiously “and where are they? We explored everywhere”

“They mostly contain medical or scientific equipment” said Noct seriously “I do need to manufacture my Suppressors you know, now I should-“

Noct froze, there was a dull thud, muffled through many layers, but you could tell it was quite the crash if you had been closer. It was accompanied by a slight vibration through the floor. Noct notwithstanding, the other three mammals were all trained police officers with powerful senses, especially Judy with her ears.

She rushed to the edge of the balcony to look down onto the living room. It had definitely come from down there but there was clearly nothing out of the ordinary.

 _Unless it’s further down_ she thought.

Noct had checked his phone for the time quickly and cursed. Muttering about someone being an early bird he tossed his beer to Nick before vaulting over the railing next to Judy and landing softly on one of the sofas. Rushing to the base of the stairs he waved his wrist over the end of the bannisters one at a time before looking up at Nick, Judy and Lunette who were still upstairs.

“Do not follow me okay?” he said seriously as the floor behind him opened up to reveal the stairs down to the bottom floor of the penthouse “I’ll give you the tour another time, too dangerous right now”

With that said Noct disappeared down the steps, the other three came down from the upper level but listened to Noct and didn’t set foot down another level no matter how much Judy and Lunette wanted to. Nick trusted his brother completely, if Noct said not to go down right now then the fox would stay right here. So he sat down on one of the sofas and waited.

“Well” he said while stretching out, now with a beer in both hands “I think we found out where these other rooms are”

* * *

 

Noct made his way down the corridor with blank doorways on either side. He didn’t head for the one where he had started Asra’s treatment, he knew exactly what was going to happen at the end, so had moved the jackal, pod and all, into one of the adjacent rooms that was mostly empty.

Pausing by the door Noct could hear movement from within.

 _Well that’s a start, I guess_ Noct thought as he wondered how to proceed _I guess it’ll need to be something primitive_

Pushing the door open silently Noct slipped inside the room, his mind a blur as he rapidly assessed the situation inside. The straps in the pod were all snapped and Asra was no longer lying within it. This was glaringly obvious as a small jackal was currently on all fours prowling around the room near the machine. If Nick were here he would be shocked, this wasn’t the same Asra he saw on all fours in that park nearly a week ago, at that time Asra’s movements had been clunky as his rational and irrational sides conflicted. The Asra before Noct, however, was not like that, this was the smooth motions of predator.

Noct started to walk forwards, within two steps however he seemed to flow into walking on all fours, just as Asra noticed his presence since Noct wasn’t trying to stay hidden. Both of Asra’s eyes were savage slits and they were trained on the panther slowly approaching. The jackal growled menacingly at Noct and backed away slightly, the pup could tell that the mammal in front of him was dangerous.

Noct paused where he was, he didn’t want to push the boy too far, his body language was relaxed and he was purring. Apart from just lying down this was about as non-threatening as he could be but he needed to get closer to Asra so lying down was counter-intuitive.

It took several long minutes but Asra gradually seemed to get used to Noct’s presence, the panther’s scent seemed to have a calming effect on the pup, something most likely lingering in his subconscious from his memories before the treatment. Noct tested the waters and tried to move again but could see the tension in Asra so stayed where he was. Noct was patient, after another ten minutes he tried again but Asra seemed to be okay with Noct’s presence now.

Slowly Noct padded forwards, Asra sniffed at him curiously which Noct took as a good sign, the panther walked past the jackal before stopping and lying down around him. Given how small Asra was due to malnutrition he was still smaller than Noct, who was lying down, while he was sat up.

Still purring Noct leant over and began to lick the top of Asra’s head, the jackal growled slightly but Noct ignored it and continued his grooming.

The complete concoction which he had administered to Asra was far more potent than whatever knockoff had first been tested on the jackal. Noct knew for a fact that, unless you grew used to its effects over a long period of time like he had, you would finish each treatment in a fully savage state. It was only afterwards that the changes to your body would allow you to be ‘savage but sane’.

For Noct, his childhood was the experiment, various methods were tried to rouse him from this savage state, many of which were painful or cruel. He was very thankful when he grew adjusted to the serum and no longer went savage after each treatment. What he did learn, however, was that actions that stimulate a mammal’s base instincts were most effective at ending this temporary savageness.

The best thing Noct could come up with was to try and deal with Asra’s instincts as a ‘child’. A comforting presence, grooming, so far it seemed to be having a positive result. Asra had, despite some minor growls in protest, stayed put under Noct’s actions.

Noct stopped and savage eyes looked up at him in confusion. The panther then began to rub his cheeks all over the jackal, Asra’s brain seemed to jerk at the action, like a gear had fallen into place somewhere. Marking was usually reserved for mates or children, this was how it worked aeons ago, and how it still stayed true in society today. The parental action was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and intelligence returned to Asra’s eyes as his left pupil trembled before returning to its normal round shape.

“Uh, um, Mr Noct?”

Noct hadn’t noticed Asra’s return to consciousness and was still rubbing his cheek over the pup. Asra almost didn’t want to say anything, he’d never had a parent that he could remember and this was the first time anything vaguely family-like had happened to him. Noct smiled as he sat up cross legged and looked down at Asra.

Asra was looking much better, his fur was a lot healthier, and he certainly had the energy to move around. His right eye was still savage, there had been a slim chance the serum might have fixed that, but Noct had had a feeling that it was part of Asra now. The boy’s body language was good and, other than his size, he seemed to be a perfectly healthy young pup.

“Good” said Noct getting to his feet “how are you feeling?”

“Fantastic” said Asra beaming as he got to his feet as well “I’d almost forgot what it was like to move around properly”

Noct suddenly smirked as he watched Asra.

“I told you I’d save you” said the panther “now how about we go back to the main apartment, you have some unsuspecting visitors”

Noct just chuckled at the confused expression on Asra’s face as he walked for the door. Asra wondered what Noct had meant for a few moments before an excited smile spread across his face and rushed after the panther.


	20. Chapter 20

Lunette was a little shell shocked. Nick and Judy were chatting away on one of the sofas nearby but their voices were just unintelligible buzzing in Lunette's ears. She was sat staring out of the enormous bay windows that looked out over most of Zootopia. Tearing her gaze away from the beautiful view, she looked around Noct's penthouse suite.

 _Our penthouse suite_  she thought to herself absentmindedly.

The past month or so had suddenly caught up to the wolf. She had left Los Antleres. She had made better friends than she had ever had before. She was doing a job that actually mattered now.

Her mate was back.

Lunette had never had a lot of money before, her family hadn't when she was growing up, and she had lived quite humbly with Noct while they were together in Los Antleres. Suddenly finding out that Noct now had more money than she could imagine was a bit of a shock. Just her mate's car alone was probably worth more money than she had ever seen back in Los Antleres.

Add onto that the revelation that Noct was some sort of scientific experiment going far beyond the limits of normal mammals and you could understand why Lunette was a little shell shocked.

Nick and Judy had noticed how Lunette was but decided that it was probably best to just give her a little time. To be fair Judy was rather shocked with the whole situation as well. Luckily Nick, once he adapted to the idea of large quantities of money again, recovered very quickly. He already knew all of Noct's secrets, and Broken Clockwork used to work in the world of the rich and powerful so Nick didn't need long to get used to everything again. This in turn helped to calm Judy down, just chatting to Nick like normal did wonders for her nerves.

Judy's ears twitched up and swivelled in the direction of the stairs which immediately made Nick shut his mouth and look over as well. The bunny's excellent hearing had picked up footsteps from down below.

 _Two sets_  she thought excitedly.

Lunette was still off in her own world and didn't notice Nick and Judy or where they're attention was focussed. Noct casually climbed back up the stairs into the living room, he glanced around to take the situation in, Nick and Judy were waiting but his mate was looking out the window and hadn't noticed his return. The panther held a finger to his lips as he looked at Nick and Judy before sneaking up behind Lunette silently.

All the tension and confusion that had been building up in Lunette, as her mind ran itself in circles, disappeared when a pair of strong arms wrapped round her from behind. She instantly found herself surrounded in Noct's comforting scent and warmth, more than warmth really, Noct radiated heat like a blast furnace. She closed her eyes and leant back into his embrace as he somehow managed to climb over the back of the sofa without letting go.

There was a genuine smile on Nick's face as he watched this, just a small one but still, he really was nothing but happy that his brother had finally found someone to love.

 _Well that's half of Broken Clockwork done_  he thought ruefully  _if Noct can do it, why can't I?_

…

_Yeah, I know exactly why…_

_Oh, I don't see why not_  Nick almost groaned as that little voice came back  _I mean, just look to your left_

Nick tensed, there was only one thing to his left that the voice could be talking about and that was Judy; he wasn't going to let his own head get  _that_  much out of his control and do as the voice said.

Before he could get too stressed out a distraction appeared, or rather, it walked up the stairs after Noct. Asra blinked a little in the evening sunlight, one of the things about living so high up was that sunlight lasted a lot longer than it did on the ground, but the pup's vision very quickly adjusted. Looking around he spotted the two mammals who had saved him back in that park and childish joy lit up his face.

"Mr Wilde!" shouted Asra happily as he ran across the room towards Nick and Judy "Miss Hopps!"

Nick's eyes widened, the fact that Asra was moving was a bit surprising but not as much as the speed at which the jackal moved, Nick barely had time to open his mouth before Asra collided with his chest and knocked the wind out of him.

"You look good Asra" Nick wheezed when he regained the use of his lungs "definitely an improvement"

"Mr Noct saved me" said Asra looking up at Nick and grinning "he has lots of science-y machines downstairs, though I was asleep for most of it"

"Well, whatever he did it seems to have worked" said Nick grinning back, he had full confidence in his brother, never doubted him for a second, but actually seeing Asra moving around looking happy and healthy took a great weight of Nick's mind. Before Asra could let go of Nick there was a grey flash and the jackal found himself pulled sideways.

"I'm so glad you're okay" said Judy hugging Asra tighter.

Despite her smaller size the rabbit had a stronger grip than most mammals, Nick caught Asra's eye as he was squeezed and gave the pup a sympathetic wink. It was a little uncomfortable but Asra didn't want anything else at that moment. It had been a complete horror, now that he took a moment to look back over the past week or so, and Asra returned Judy's hug harder. He was living on the streets, he was kidnapped, he was drugged, he was dying… but on the other hand… he met Mr Wilde and Miss Hopps, they visited him in hospital, he met Mr Noct, he was saved by them all. Asra looked up as he felt something hit his fur, he started to panic a little when he saw that Judy was crying.

"Are you okay Miss Hopps?" he asked worriedly.

Judy laughed, she smiled despite the tears "I'm fine Asra, emotional bunnies and all that" Judy glanced sidelong at her partner, sure enough there was that smirk when he heard that.

"Noct?" asked Lunette a little confused "Why does Asra smell like you?"

Asra squirmed around in Judy's grasp enough to look over and notice that there was someone he didn't know sat next to Noct. Nick tilted his head quizzically before turning to Asra and sniffing, sure enough the pup smelt like Noct, Nick just hadn't noticed it because it was unexpected and the whole penthouse smelt a bit like his brother.

"Nix is right, what's up with that Noct?" he asked curiously.

Noct sighed deeply and pulled Lunette closer into his side. He pondered where to go with all this for a little while before he opened his mouth.

"Asra should be dead" Noct started slowly, the room instantly grew a little gloomier "if you hadn't sedated him when you did, if you hadn't told me about him when you did, if I hadn't visited when I did… any one of these points was enough. And even with everything coming together, with me treating him, it was difficult. The first round of treatment did not take very well" Nick frowned when he heard this, he didn't like where this was heading, Judy hugged Asra tighter as she heard more "I sort of figured it wouldn't, the damage done to Asra's body was extremely severe. The first treatment was to try and stabilise his body as it was but the damage was just too much to cope with. There was only one option left to take… I gave him a dose of the original"

Nick inhaled sharply, his breath whistling through his fangs, his paws clenching as he looked down at Asra sat in Judy's lap.

"What do you mean by 'the original'?" asked Lunette quietly.

"He means he had to give Asra the same serum that was used on himself when he was a child" said Nick grimacing.

"Yes" said Noct sadly "all the Lacerda's dangerous knowledge is still trapped up here" he tapped the side of his head "recreating that horrible stuff is fairly easy for me. As I said, the first treatment was to stabilise but that didn't work. Therefore, all I could do was bolster Asra's body till it  _could_  handle the damage done to it. Thankfully he was unconscious for the experience, I can tell you from memory that it is extremely painful"

Noct and Nick shared a look, Nick hadn't spoken out even though he knew and Noct hadn't mentioned that being unconscious didn't stop the pain, they came to an instant, unspoken agreement not to worry the girls any more than needed. Thankfully the fact Asra was unconscious had at least one positive, the boy obviously did not remember what he had gone through.

"Night Howlers on their own simply reactivate parts of the brain and bodily systems that mammals have not used in countless years" said the panther "it only unlocks potential so to speak, it does not change the body. The drug created by the Lacerdas however was designed to unlock that potential and then make it permanent. Each time I was given it my body would be enhanced beyond its current limits and that progress was then carved into my very bones and blood. You can see why it would be painful" Lunette didn't say anything but she tightened her grip on Noct "Anyway, it's far more complicated than I make it out to be, but Asra's body has been strengthened just enough that it can naturally heal itself"

"That's good and all" said Judy "but what about the scent?"

"I was getting to that" sighed Noct "this stuff isn't some temporary savage inducing high, this is a physiological change at the basest of levels. It is incredibly potent in order to leave a permanent effect. Meaning that, unless you've had years to adjust to the stuff, you are left in a pure savage state for a period of time after the treatment"

Everyone quickly glanced at Asra in worry.

"Don't worry" said Noct "It's a one-off thing because of the drug, it's why I wouldn't let any of you follow me downstairs. But this brings us to the scent. The quickest way to bring someone round again is to stimulate their base instincts, exhaust the primitive psyche and the consciousness will return. Given Asra's age I felt it was easiest to appeal to his instincts as a child which culminated in marking him"

"So that was it" said Nick reaching out to scratch Asra behind the ears "and here I thought you were adopting him or something"

"Well, that's the plan" replied Noct casually.

Most of the conversation had completely flown over Asra's head, he knew they were talking about him and, since he couldn't understand it, it was probably about how Mr Noct saved him. The last bit of conversation, however, he completely understood and he froze, as did Nick's paw. In fact everyone in the room, bar Noct, was rather stunned.

"A few reasons for this" said Noct to break the silence "One, I'll need to keep monitoring Asra as he grows up, I still don't know if there will be any complications. Two, Asra, like myself, is now a walking talking example of my family's knowledge. I can handle myself but if someone got their hands on Asra they could learn some dangerous things. Three, I like the kid, I share a closer bond with him now than I ever did with the rest of my family. He's like me, and he's just a pup, I can't just turn my back on him"

Noct leant down and rested his head against Lunette's.

"Sorry I didn't mention this before" he murmured "everything's been rather rushed, forgive me?"

"You're terrible, you know that?" Lunette just gently shook her head with a small smile on her face "but that's one of the reasons I love you"

"So I'm forgiven?"

"Yes, yes" sighed Lunette looking over at Nick, Judy and Asra "If  _we_  don't do it I get the feeling Judy won't let go of him"

Noct waved a paw at Asra to come over, the surprise had loosened Judy's grip and the jackal managed to wriggle free. Asra ran over but then remembered that there was a stranger next to Mr Noct and slowed down cautiously. Noct noticed this and chuckled.

"This is my mate, Lunette" said Noct turning his head to kiss the wolf on the cheek.

"But you're not a wolf" said Asra tilting his head as he came to a stop in front of Noct.

"Doesn't matter, still my mate"

"It's nice to meet you properly Asra" said Lunette gently.

"Properly?" Asra tilted his head the other way, everyone present couldn't help thinking he was quite adorable.

"I work with Nick and Judy, I was there when they found you but I stayed behind to meet with the ambulance when it arrived" explained Lunette "you were already sedated by the time I saw you"

Lunette extricated herself from Noct's embrace and sat forwards on the sofa. Asra fidgeted a little under the wolf's rather intense gaze as she inspected him. As a child of the streets Asra normally didn't care too much about his appearance, if it fit and kept him the right temperature then he would wear it, and there was not much access to things like showers. Yet now, as Lunette looked him up and down, Asra couldn't help feeling that his clothes were rather tatty. Lunette's eyes softened as she watched Asra fidget nervously, she licked a thumb and reached out to clean a smudge on the side of his muzzle. Asra flinched a little before he realised what she was doing, then he just felt a bit embarrassed.

"He's filthy" Lunette said glaring down at Noct as she stood up.

"I did the best I could given that I couldn't move him during his treatment" protested Noct as he raised an eyebrow.

"Come on then" said Lunette firmly as she took Asra by the paw and started to drag him upstairs "let's get you cleaned up before we sort everything else out"

Noct watched them with a dopey smile on his face till they disappeared from view, shortly afterwards Judy and Noct's sensitive hearing picked up the gentle sound of flowing water.

"I love that mammal like you would not believe" said Noct with a happy sigh.

Noct still didn't know how he, with the life he had lived, deserved someone like Lunette. He glanced over at Nick and Judy, who were still rather shocked at everything, and grinned. Since he'd come this far, what was another bombshell?

"I'm going to ask her to marry me"

Noct's grin grew about three times larger as he watched Nick and Judy's faces. Judy had had too many happy surprises today, she actually wasn't sure how to react and just sort of sat there with wide eyes and a small smile. Noct noticed that Nick had looked at Judy fearfully whilst reaching for his ears but calmed down when he saw she was quiet. Then he just relaxed and looked back at Noct with that smirk of his. Noct knew his brother far too well though, as Nick was aware, and he could see what the fox was really trying to convey.

"I knew you two were pretty serious" said Nick "wasn't expecting this so soon though"

"Well you say that" said Noct scratching his head and glancing away momentarily "I, uh, I already had everything planned out back in Los Antleres, whoever it was that leaked the info about my presence had the  _worst_  timing. I swear if I ever find out who it was…"

"Have you asked her yet?" was the first thing Judy said after coming out of her minor stupor.

"Of course not, JJ" said Noct shaking his head "we've been back together for just a few days, I need to find the right time"

Nick and Judy nodded in agreement though their heads slowly jerked to a halt as Noct looked over at them intently. Savage emerald orbs stared as Noct emitted a pressure that Nick and Judy hadn't felt since Koslov was last trying to intimidate them.

"This also means that you two are sworn to secrecy about all this" growled Noct quietly "if Lunette catches on I  _will_  blame you two and I will make your lives a living hell of embarrassment till the end of your careers"

Nick and Judy could tell how serious Noct was, and Nick knew that his brother was certainly capable of going through with that threat, it would seem that this was Noct's line in the sand for hustles, tricks and teases. Thankfully Noct's eyes returned to normal within a few moments and the menacing aura disappeared along with it.

"Don't worry about that" said Nick leaning back on the sofa "I get how important she is to you. And you can rely on Carrots, she'll probably be trying to help you plan the whole thing. She won't spoil it, just so she can see the look on Lunette's face"

"That's true" grinned Judy evilly "and believe me, given the amount of sisters I have and how family focussed most rabbits are, I have plenty of experience in this field"

There was quiet for a moment before Judy let out a little giggle.

"I can't wait to see when Fru finds out" she laughed.

Noct winced, something not unnoticed by the two police officers sat opposite him.

"What was that?" asked Nick tilting his head.

"I… I haven't actually managed to see Fru yet" admitted Noct "She wasn't around when I went to see Mr. Big again"

"Oh well this just keeps getting better" said Nick with an enormous smirk.

"Did you know Fru Fru well?" asked Judy curiously before turning to Nick "and what about you? She didn't make much of a fuss over you when we were about to get Iced by Mr. Big"

"We knew her pretty well" said Noct as this time it was Nick's turn to wince "being the only youngsters under Mr. Big's wing, we were the only ones relatively close to Fru's age, so we saw her often enough"

"She wasn't very happy when Noct disappeared" said Nick "I expect her father told her about what happened to the Lacerdas as well. I… I didn't pay much attention to other people around that time, I was in quite a dark patch and you know my relationship with Mr. Big… deteriorated. To be honest, nearly getting Iced on her wedding day was the first time I'd seen her again in nearly a decade" Nick paused to smirk self-depreciatingly "She probably didn't recognise me, not that surprising for Mr. Big to be Icing a fox, we're sly bastards you know"

Judy swatted at Nick's arm in annoyance, she didn't like it when he put down foxes in general because she could tell that he was actually just talking about himself.

"Anyway" said Noct as he stood up "just remember to keep your mouths shut"

Nick mimed zipping up his muzzle which made Judy giggle slightly but she nodded at Noct as well.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

Noct didn't say anything and just disappeared into the wardrobe room. He resurfaced very quickly now holding some clothing that seemed far too small for him. This, combined with the fact that he then headed for the stairs, made it fairly obvious that they were for Asra.

"You've been planning this whole thing for a while huh?" Nick shouted after him.

"Pretty much from the moment you told me the details" came the reply before Noct vanished into the bedroom.

Nick shook his head, everything that had happened was very Noct-ish, and he was very happy with that. There had been a distinct lack of Noct-ish occurrences in his life for the last ten years.

**Thwap**

Nick looked down at the cushion Judy had just slapped down onto his lap. He turned to look at his partner bemusedly in time to see her flop face first onto said cushion. There was a muffled screaming coming from the cushion as Judy's feet thumped against the sofa repeatedly. Nick gave a small snort and just waited for her to calm down, the screaming sounded happy enough, or so he thought, it  _was_  rather muffled.

After about a minute Judy sat back up like nothing had ever happened. Although Nick noticed, with a smirk, that she seemed to be avoiding his eyes.

"Feeling better?" he asked while checking the claws on his right paw.

"Yes" said Judy curtly "I'm more impressed with how Lunette is dealing with everything"

"Well they lived together in Los Antleres" said Nick "I expect she's pretty used to the sort of things that go on around Noct"

Judy's ears rotated towards the stairs and Nick automatically turned to face them, he had long grown to trust his partner's hearing. Sure enough, a few moments later, there was the rapid thump of footsteps and Asra appeared taking the steps three at a time.

"How do I look?" he asked as he bounced up and down in front of Nick and Judy.

Asra was clean and mostly dry now, his fur was sticking up in a few places but that just added to the cuteness, and seemed very happy with his new clothes. They were some kind of designer t-shirt and shorts, stylish but casual, it seemed Noct had at least some fashion sense.

 _Unlike someone's choice in shirts_  Judy thought to herself with a grin.

"You're looking slick" grinned Nick "and I know what I'm talking about when it comes to slick"

"It suits you Asra" said Judy shaking her head at her partner in minor despair.

"I told him that but he didn't believe me" said Noct as he came back downstairs with his arm round Lunette "insisted on getting your opinion"

Noct and Lunette sat back down again and Asra was left glancing between the two pairs of mammals wondering where to sit. In the end he couldn't decide and curled up on a small beanbag that was nearby.

"So what exactly have you got planned?" asked Lunette "I know you Noctis Lacerda, you wouldn't have suddenly jumped this on us without fully preparing beforehand"

"Of course" chuckled Noct as he looked over at Asra "from now on Asra will live here, just not here specifically, I hadn't been thinking about other residents when I designed this apartment. However, I own most of the tower and there is in fact one flat that is connected to the bottom floor of the penthouse. So that is yours now Asra, I'll take you down to see it soon, I'm assuming you are okay with this?"

Asra just nodded his head frantically as his tail wagged.

"The next part is up to you Asra, I will put myself forwards as your guardian and I'm perfectly willing to adopt you if that is what you want as well"

Asra just kept nodding though he couldn't stop the tears welling up in his eyes. A family was something the boy had never experienced, from his earliest memories he lived on the streets and fended for himself, sure he had some friends but it wasn't the same. Whenever Asra saw other families around the city he would always feel like he was missing out on something. Right at this second the pup almost wanted to thank the people who had kidnapped him, without them he wouldn't have met Nick, Judy, Noct and Lunette.

"Asra probably doesn't have any identification" said Lunette frowning slightly "won't that make things trickier?"

Nick and Noct shared a glance across the room before they both started to chuckle. They stopped quickly as the two females started to glare at them.

"Money solves everything, Nix" said Nick "I'd have thought you'd know that from Los Antleres"

"And I'm fairly sure there I can find someone involved in the legal process who owes Broken Clockwork a few favours" said Noct "Money is of no consequence, I can fund anything Asra needs or wants to do. How's your education?"

Asra stopped nodding abruptly and looked down in embarrassment.

"That's fine" said Noct kindly "I figured as much, for now I will take care of teaching Asra the basics he'll need"

"Will that be okay?" asked Judy a little concerned.

"My memory is near perfect, JJ" explained Noct "and along with that my brain functions extremely fast, I learn things very, very quickly and do not forget them. I can handle teaching Asra believe me. His treatment has been far shorter than what I experienced however but it will have a similar effect on him. He will learn rapidly and remember things easily, even though he is already 13 and only knows what he needed to survive, he will effortlessly catch up with his peers and then surpass them. He can apply himself to whatever catches his fancy and he will succeed. Of course, I can cover any tuition that may be required if that is the direction he ends up going in"

Lunette nodded in agreement, it was just like her mate to have all this planned out, and he certainly seemed to have covered everything important. Asra had wiped his tears, trying studiously to avoid getting his new clothes damp, and looked up at Noct.

"Does that mean that I'm Asra Lacerda now?" he asked curiously.

Noct froze.

Everyone in the room could see the sudden tension, especially Lunette who was leaning against her mate, she could feel Noct trembling slightly. Asra's ears dropped a little and his tail grew still but this was mainly in confusion, Noct didn't seem angry or anything, he just had a very faraway look on his face.

 _Well now_  Noct thought to himself  _I must say I never thought I'd ever spread the family name. Not with my biology anyway. Is it worth it? Maybe I should change my name, get rid of the family for ever…_ Noct knew that he never would though, despite everything he was a Lacerda, always would be  _Still… I am Noctis Lacerda, the_ _ **only**_ _Lacerda, right now I am the Lacerdas. It's_ _ **my**_ _family now so…_

"If you're happy with that, then yes" said Noct smiling gently as he came back to his senses.

Asra grinned and curled up tighter on his beanbag, he buried his face in his tail and he could be heard quietly repeating his new name over and over to himself. Judy could feel her heart melting as she watched the pup, she was so happy that things were working out for Asra, she turned her head to say something to her partner. Judy didn't actually say anything though when she saw the expression on Nick's face.

It was happy? Judy thought so at least. He was staring off into space and he seemed rather distant. All in all, it was as if Nick had reached some sort of enlightenment or received some divine knowledge. Judy reached out and waved her hand in front of his face a few times with no reaction. Seeing this she reached out and poke him rather firmly in the side, between his third and fourth rib, a spot she had learnt he was particularly sensitive about.

Nick gave a small yelp drawing everyone's attention to himself. He looked down at Judy a little disapprovingly while rubbing his side to which Judy just raised an eyebrow.

"What's up with you Slick?" She asked.

Nick stopped rubbing his side and the biggest smirk Lunette had ever seen appeared on his face. She had thought the grin he had when Noct had given the fox directions earlier was big but it was nothing compared to this.

"I was just thinking" said Nick slowly "all this makes me Uncle Nick now, doesn't it?"

Noct looked over at his brother blankly, this quickly broke into a grin, and then the panther started to laugh. Asra's head popped up from under his tail, he looked over at Nick as everyone watched him, and his head tilted quizzically to the side. Nick saw this and tilted his own head just as quizzically, Judy had to slap a paw over her mouth to stop herself snorting in laughter, you could be forgiven if you thought the two of them were actually related.

"Uncle Nick?" said Asra.

The words were quite quiet but they hit the fox like a freight train. Nick's habit of holding the world at arm's length was not something he developed out of choice. It was necessity, the only way the fox could cope with society's view on his species, and had long become ingrained in his personality. If no one ever got close to him then no one could ever hurt him again. And, given his past, Nick had never expected to find a mate and start a family. That wasn't to say that Nick didn't want those things, he had just come to the conclusion that it was never going to happen to him.

And yet all of a sudden, thanks entirely to that tingle down his spine, there was a pup looking up at him with those innocent brown eyes who called him Uncle. Right at that point, though he already knew he cared about Asra, Nick came to terms with the fact that, probably due to seeing himself in the boy, Asra had slipped inside his defences.

It was all Nick could do to keep a straight face and smile back at Asra. He felt a paw touch his side again, gently this time, and he calmed down a little. Trust Judy to see straight through him but he was glad that she knew exactly how to support him.

At this point Asra smiled before turning his head to look at the bunny.

"Aunty Judy?" he said very innocently.

Everyone froze this time. To start with, Noct and Lunette just watched how Nick and Judy would react.

 _Calm down_  Judy thought to herself  _just because he called you Aunty and Nick Uncle does not in any way tie the two of you together. Look at Asra, he clearly isn't thinking anything like that._

Judy glanced across at the fox sat next to her to find that he was glancing back at her already. Their eyes met and the fur on the backs of their necks bristled. Judy hurriedly pulled the paw touching Nick's side back like she'd been shocked. Asra watched curiously as Nick and Judy's heads snapped apart to look in opposite directions.

Judy just happened to look across the room to where Noct and Lunette were sitting. The two of them had a terrifying twinkle in their eyes and they were murmuring to each other with grins on their faces as they watched her.

 _Oh god_  Judy thought in horror as she looked at Asra, Noct and Lunette  _Even if Asra didn't know what he was saying, it's like an entire family of Clawhausers!_

Suddenly realising that she hadn't said anything yet, Judy calmed herself enough to look back at Asra with a gentle smile on her face.

"That's me" she said brightly.

Asra looked between his new Aunt and Uncle and his tail started to wag again. Nick had resorted to checking his phone to hide his embarrassment and distract himself. It was only after scrolling through several pages on Furbook that he noticed what the time was.

"We need to start moving Carrots" said Nick looking across at his partner, Judy jumped slightly before checking the time herself.

"He's right" said Judy climbing to her feet "We still need to go to work tomorrow"

Asra's face fell and both Nick and Judy couldn't help but sigh.

"Don't worry Scruff, we'll visit again soon" said Nick with a grin.

"Asra" said Lunette while patting the sofa next to her.

Asra perked up at Nick's promise and then ran over to Noct and Lunette and hopped up on the sofa next to the wolf. Asra had certainly warmed up to Lunette and happily settled himself down beside her. Noct stood up as well, he planned to walk Nick and Judy out and make sure that they got a taxi.

Nick and Judy made their goodbyes to Lunette, though they would see her again just the next morning, and Asra once more. Noct led the way out of the apartment and Lunette just about heard Nick asking Judy 'how her parents would react to her being Aunty Judy now' as they followed. The last thing Lunette heard was Judy reply "Dumb Fox, do you know how many of my siblings already have kids? I was always Aunty Judy".

It was quiet with just Asra and Lunette left in the room. It was now like the calm after a storm, a lot had happened to Asra over the last week, let alone just today. He may be in his early teens but, living on the streets with no one to rely on, parts of him were more mature than his peers while other parts were far more childish. Add on to this the fact that his instincts were now enhanced and Asra still didn't know how to cope with this entirely, and the whole situation was starting to bear down on the child.

Lunette looked down in concern when she noticed Asra start to tremble, his paws clenched. Just like Judy, Lunette had graduated police academy aged 24, and right now she was 29 years old. 5 years working the beat in Los Antleres had given her a lot of experience as a cop. Which is why she very quickly worked out what was wrong with Asra.

Lunette reached over and gently picked Asra up, feeling him tense as she did so, and sat him down in her lap. Not for the first time Lunette noticed how small Asra was, they definitely needed to sort out his diet.

"Noct really does like to drop things on us doesn't he" said Lunette quietly "although this is the first time on this sort of scale. I know that you are a bit uncomfortable right now, this is all new to me as well, but you don't need to worry. If Noct says that he will look after you then he will and I'll be here to help and so will Nick and Judy"

Asra calmed down as he listened to Lunette's voice but he realised that she had slightly misunderstood him.

"I'm not uncomfortable Miss Lunette" said Asra cheering up a bit "It was just that a lot has happened, I'm very thankful to you and Mr Noct and Uncle Nick and Aunty Judy"

Lunette closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was fairly obvious to all that Asra was adorable, his small size and naivety towards things he hadn't experienced before living on the streets struck a chord in everyone's hearts. But at that moment, as Lunette held him in her arms, it went further than that. Lunette suddenly found that she just wanted to protect the little jackal.

 _Well this is unexpected_  thought Lunette as the feeling only seemed to get stronger  _I guess these are maternal instincts…_

"Asra, you…" Lunette hesitated, this wasn't something she had ever thought that she would be saying "you can just call me mum"

Asra jolted slightly and tucked his head into his chest.

"M-Mum" he whispered barely loud enough for Lunette to hear.

But hear she did and Lunette could barely keep her tail from wagging, even though she was sat down, as a warm feeling ran through her at Asra's words. She held him a bit closer and there was quiet for a while once more.

After a few more minutes and Noct still hadn't reappeared, Lunette had a sudden idea and leant down to whisper into Asra's ear. The jackal blinked a few times as he listened before a shy little smile appeared on his face.

It was another few minutes and there was still no sign of Noct and Lunette started to frown. She was just about to get up and go look for her mate when the door opened. Noct walked back inside and the reason for his lateness could be seen behind him. The normally empty corridor before the elevator was now full of all the cardboard boxes that contained Lunette's belongings. The frown disappeared from Lunette's face and, shortly afterwards when she glanced at Asra, was replaced by a cheeky grin. Noct saw the expression on his mate's face and his steps faltered slightly.

"W-" Asra struggled to find his voice as Noct focussed his attention on the jackal, Lunette stroked the top of Asra's head encouragingly "Welcome home dad"

Noct slowly stumbled to a halt as he took in the sight of Asra sat in Lunette's lap. His face was blank, even Nick would struggle to read his brother at this moment, so no one knew about the storm of emotions wracking Noct. Noct felt something on his cheeks and raised a paw to find that his eyes had welled with tears. He blinked a few times before he disappeared into the kitchen without saying anything.

Asra was scared and looked up at Lunette, she noticed his worry and stroked the top of his head again while telling him everything was fine. Lunette reached out and picked up the remote from where Noct had left it. She darkened one of the windows and turned on the TV. Placing Asra beside her Lunette passed him the remote and told him to sit still for a while. Leaving the jackal to flick through the many channels, Lunette went into the kitchen to find her mate.

As she expected Noct had started to cook, one of his greatest weapons while he had been courting her was his home cooked meals, Lunette had always been impressed with his skill in the kitchen. When she thought about it now, cooking was probably another of the skills forcibly taught to him by his family. Lunette shook her head slightly as she walked up behind Noct and wrapped her arms round his waist.

"Don't blame Asra" she said as Noct paused his work cutting up an onion "I told him to say that"

Noct put down his knife and turned around in Lunette's embrace so he could face her. As always he was struck by her beauty, every time he saw his mate she took his breath away, just like the first time he saw her. He hesitated slightly, this was a secret only Nick knew about, and while he had always planned to tell Lunette, this situation had come out of nowhere.

"It's no one's fault, you wouldn't have known" he said gently raising a paw to trace the side of Lunette's face "I can't have children, Bruma"

Noct smiled sadly as he watched her, Lunette's eyes widened, her mouth opened and her left ear flopped slightly, all signs that showed her shock.

"Yet another of the side effects from my 'upbringing', one that emphasises what my family wanted from me, a weapon has no need for the ability to start a family of its own"

"Why did you never tell me?" asked Lunette as she gripped the back of his shirt.

"I had actually been struggling with how to do that back in Los Antleres, without bringing my past into it" said Noct touching his nose to Lunette's "and it was never the right moment to talk about it. I've long since come to terms with it, I just never thought I'd hear someone call  _me_  dad. Asra's words just… got to me a little"

Lunette let go of Noct's shirt and reached up to cup his face as she pressed her lips to his. She was trying to convey all the thoughts and feelings she was having but just couldn't seem to put into suitable words. Noct closed his eyes and revelled in the love, concern, and support as he kissed her back.

"I don't deserve you" he said simply as they broke apart.

"Oh shush" said Lunette as she batted him on the chest and stepped away "go back to your cooking"

Noct gave a salute and turned back to his half-chopped onion. Lunette stayed and leant against the wall off to one side. She had always enjoyed watching Noct cook, his graceful motions and perfect timings seemed to turn the act into a work of art. Delicious smells began to fill the room, from what Lunette could gather Noct was cooking some sort of omelette, even out in the living room Asra started to sniff the air hungrily.

It was the little moments like this that Lunette had missed the most when Noct vanished from Los Antleres. She would never get bored watching her mate and Lunette just waited happily as he cooked. The sounds from the living room stopped and a few seconds later Asra entered the kitchen curiously following his nose.

"Asra, could you help Bruma set the table?" asked Noct without turning from his work.

With a few directions from Noct, Asra enthusiastically moved three plates from one of the cupboards to the table in the middle of the room while Lunette dealt with the cutlery. The omelettes were nearly done so Lunette and Asra sat at the table and did not have to wait long. The meal was a simple one, cheese and onion omelettes with a bowl of mixed salad as a side, the thing that surprised Lunette was the quantity. There were four omelettes, folded over, and each one was a meal by itself. Lunette took one but her confusion only grew when Noct only served himself half.

"This is probably a good time to talk about food" said Noct as he pushed the remaining omelettes towards Asra "or rather, our metabolisms. While taking Suppressors my metabolism slows down, I eat less" Noct gestured at his portion "and my body temperature rises. If I were to stop taking the Suppressors and return to my savage form then this basically flips. My body would process energy very quickly and my body temperature drops ridiculously to save as much of that energy as possible"

Lunette nodded along slowly as Noct spoke when she was distracted by the chewing sounds from next to her. Looking away from her mate her mouth dropped slightly as she saw that Asra had already finished off one of the omelettes and was moving onto his second.

"Asra just finished his treatment which left him in a savage state, currently his metabolism is not only fast but his body is seeking extra fuel to heal itself" explained Noct picking away at his own food.

Lunette almost forgot to eat herself as she watched two and a half omelettes and assorted salad rapidly disappear into the little jackal's maw. Asra's eyes were a little blank, like he wasn't entirely aware, as he licked his lips. He yawned as his head began to nod, Noct reached across the table and pulled Asra's plate out of the way as the pup slumped down where it just was. Lunette was a little worried but Noct wasn't acting like anything was wrong and Asra had started to snore gently.

"Don't worry" said Noct standing up "While he seems better, Asra's body still needs a lot of rest, to be honest I'm impressed he lasted this long. Now that he's eaten I expect he'll sleep for quite a while"

"But you're sure he's okay?" asked Lunette finishing up the last bits of her own meal.

"Yes" Noct walked round the table and picked up Asra "I'll give him a Suppressor tomorrow to get things under control, we just need to let his body recover by itself now. Come on I'll give you the rest of the tour"

Ignoring the washing up for now, Noct led the way back into the living room, once more he swiped a wrist over the bannisters and the stairs down revealed themselves. He descended slowly and Lunette followed curiously.

"That room is the laboratory" said Noct as he paused to hold the door open for Lunette to look in briefly "this one is the infirmary… training room… engineering bay… resource storage… torture chamber…"

Lunette's head span round in time to see Noct grinning at her, she sighed and shook her head.

"Okay that one is actually a meditation room, tasteful rock garden and everything" Lunette opened the door and couldn't help gasping in admiration, the room was full of swirling gravel and gentle fountains with a platform in the centre covered in cushions "though for some more active mammals I guess that  _could_  be torture"

Lunette thought back to how bad waiting for Weaselton had gotten to Judy, the wolf couldn't help agreeing with her mate's last statement. Noct didn't show her all the rooms, he said some of them were just empty, and soon they reached the end of the corridor. It was a blank wall save for some sort of screen off to one side. Noct once again waved a wrist over it and the wall right ahead of them slid open.

They stepped through into another apartment, far smaller than the penthouse suite, but just as luxurious. Lunette admired the open kitchenette/lounge as Noct headed directly for a door which Lunette assumed was the bedroom. By the time she caught up Noct had already put Asra on the bed and tucked him in. Noct looked down at Asra's sleeping face, the pup seemed to be sleeping better than he ever did during any of the treatment. Lunette joined Noct at his side, she also gazed at the little jackal.

 _I always thought we'd adopt at some point_  she thought to herself, she loved Noct more than anything, as he did her, she had never even considered  _not_  spending the rest of her life with him  _I just didn't expect it so soon after finding him again_  she smiled and put an arm around Noct which he matched  _Zootopia huh, life sure is crazy._

* * *

Noct's eyes flicked open and he sat up in bed with enough force to throw the covers off himself. He didn't even need to check the clock to know that two hours had passed since he had drifted off to sleep holding Lunette in his arms. His senses were running wild and he focussed on the silence to calm himself down.

Well, almost silence.

"What's wrong honey?" asked Lunette a little sleepily as she rolled over.

"I finished sleeping, that's all" said Noct still sitting up in bed, he didn't look at her.

"Do you always wake up like that?" asked Lunette after a moment.

Noct just sighed, his mate reached out and gently pulled him back onto the bed till he was lying down again, he still wasn't looking at her though.

"When I do sleep my dreams are controlled by the primitive part of my subconscious" explained Noct "I dream of living like a savage, I dream of being the killer my family wanted… depending on the instinct some dreams can be more vivid than others, in which case I wake up rather… agitated"

Lunette didn't say anything but she reached out to gently run a paw through Noct's fur. Her paw trailed down across Noct's chest as the big cat purred softly. Lunette paused, however, when her arm touched something hot and very, very hard.

"I think I know what you were dreaming about" Lunette said with half lidded eyes, her paw wrapping around him.

Noct twitched and then there was a deep rumble that filled the room sending shivers through Lunette. Her mate twisted till he was leaning over her as he gently but firmly pressed her down.

"I just told you that my instincts were agitated" growled Noct almost struggling with his words.

Noct's eyes were slit-like and stared down at Lunette with a fierce longing, once again Lunette found that she wasn't scared of his eyes, in fact a heat was starting to run through the wolf under Noct's gaze.

"And what are they telling you to do?" asked Lunette breathily.

Noct's response was another growl before his lips pressed against hers with a passion that Lunette was eager to return. Conscious thoughts began to take the back seat as something more primal took over their escalating actions.

Noct would not be getting anymore sleep that night and, from the sounds of it, neither would Lunette.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy, been a while since the last chapter, apologies for that I've just been rather slow writing recently
> 
> I'd write more in this note but it's far too late/early and I want to try sleeping again

Lunette walked into the precinct with a happy bounce in her step. And with good reason as this morning had been one of the best since she had come to Zootopia. First off, she had woken up snuggled in Noct's embrace. He hadn't fallen asleep even after their late-night activities but the panther was more than happy to simply lie there holding his mate till she woke up again. Despite her exhaustion, sleeping next to Noct like that had been incredibly restful and she woke up bright and early and full of pep.

Lunette was still running on her normal routine, however this was based on her previous apartment which was much further away from the police headquarters. In fact, Lunette could walk from the Chrysalis Tower and still have a quicker journey than she used to. This meant that she could actually take her time this morning.

Noct and Lunette shared a shower, even with Lunette's extra time they couldn't fool around, they simply enjoyed each other's presence in the water. Noct even held off on demonstrating all the extra functions of the shower that he was so proud of.

After that there was enough time for Noct to prepare a proper breakfast for them both. Nothing crazy, a light continental meal with various breads and jams and of course coffee for Lunette. Noct himself was not a coffee drinker, caffeine did not have much effect on him and he also just didn't like the taste. He would mainly drink water during the day, or in cases like this, hot chocolate.

Even after all this Lunette still had enough time to check in on Asra before she had to leave. Noct had to open the stair well for her but he also wanted to look in on the boy. Unsurprisingly Asra was still fast asleep, his body still had a lot of work to do healing itself, but Lunette was happy to see him sleeping peacefully.

This was where Noct and Lunette separated, Lunette had to start moving to get to work while Noct was going to stay and wait for when Asra awoke, the pup was going to be waking in an unfamiliar place so Noct's presence should help him calm down. Lunette couldn't help smiling warmly at the precious male in her life.

_Two males now_  she thought to herself glancing at Asra one last time before she left.

The way back up to the penthouse was still open, Noct suggested going that way as his private elevator was the fastest way to get back to the ground floor. Lunette felt a little nervous when she walked out into the reception, the staff would obviously take note of a stranger walking out of the private lift. However, it would seem that Noct had gotten there first, all the staff seemed to be expecting her and were very courteous in greeting Lunette as she left the building.

Noct hadn't been kidding when he said he could see where Lunette worked from his window, it was barely a five-minute walk from the Chrysalis Tower to Precinct 1. And Lunette had a wonderful bounce in her step as she made her way to work. Despite getting up at her normal time, the knowledge that she only had a five-minute trip in, along with everything else that happened that morning, meant that by the time Lunette arrived Nick and Judy were already stood talking to Clawhauser at the dispatcher's desk.

Clawhauser noticed Lunette's appearance first and Nick and Judy cottoned on when they saw the blank look on his face.

"Morning Nix" said Nick with a wide grin "Settled in yet?"

"Morning Lunette" added Judy, beaming with her usual energy.

"Morning Nick, Judy" replied Lunette with a smile that hadn't left her face all morning "I was settled in before you two left, this morning has been wonderful so far"

"Are you pregnant?!" blurted Clawhauser.

Nick, Judy and Lunette all froze while staring at Clawhauser's blank face with wide eyes. A few moments later and the cheetah's brain caught up with his mouth, his own eyes widened and his paws flew to his mouth.

"Sorry" he whispered "it's just, well I thought you were glowing when you found your mate again but that was nothing compared to how you look today. I've only seen expecting mothers look that happy"

"No, I'm not pregnant!" said Lunette rather forcefully, a light blush rising.

"Doesn't mean she's not a mother though" said Nick checking his claws nonchalantly while avoiding looking at anyone.

Judy kicked Nick in the shin hard enough to leave the fox hopping around trying not to fall over but it was too late, the damage was done. Clawhauser was now staring at Lunette with eyes like dinner plates.

"Explain!" he practically squealed.

"… Fine…" sighed Lunette, she found that she wasn't surprised by Nick's instigation, she'd obviously spent too much time around Judy and her partner "You know the boy who Nick discovered in a savage state last week" Clawhauser nodded along, Judy reached out for the arm Nick had injured unconsciously without taking her eyes off Lunette and Clawhauser "Well, Nick got in touch with my mate and, to cut a long story short, we're going to adopt him"

"Asra is,  _was_ , an orphan" explained Nick when he saw Clawhauser's confusion, Judy looked round when he spoke and realised where her paw was, she hurriedly bounced round to the other side of Lunette.

"NAAaaawww, that's fantastic  _and_  adorable!" said Clawhauser actually squealing this time, he clapped his paws a few times before he frowned slightly and turned to Nick "that reminds me, how do you know Lunette's mate?"

"He's my brother" said Nick with that trade mark smirk of his.

Clawhauser's gaze switched between Nick and Lunette several times before settling on the wolf.

"You're mated to a fox?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

Judy was about to jab Nick in his ribs but he was already wincing at his mistake before she could touch him so Judy let it go with just a worried frown. While he didn't think it was a problem here in the precinct, Nick was very aware about how Zootopia could react to interspecies relationships.

"He's not my blood brother Benjy" said Nick smoothly trying to redirect the conversation.

Lunette looked at him warmly but sadly, of course she could see what Nick was trying to do, it was nice to see him being considerate but this was something she knew she had to face at some point.

"He's a panther" said Lunette as Clawhauser was nodding at Nick's words.

Clawhauser paused and turned all his attention onto Lunette but didn't say anything for a while.

"Do you have something against that Benjy?" asked Judy in a small voice, the cheetah was normally so friendly and welcoming that she hoped he was fine with it.

Clawhauser jumped slightly and looked down at Judy, after a second that familiar twinkle appeared in his eyes as he leant on the desk.

"Why Officer Hopps when have I ever given you the impression I was  _against_  interspecies relationships?" grinned Clawhauser, he made sure he had locked eyes with Judy before his gaze flickered briefly to Nick, just enough that she'd notice, before he turned back to Lunette "I was just surprised because you're a feline and a canine, that's a rare mix even for interspecies couples"

"Well you know what they say" chipped in Nick, happy he hadn't brought up an awkward conversation in the end "opposites attract"

Judy was about to say something as well when she saw the time on the large clock on one of the walls and her eyes widened in shock.

"We need to move!" she shouted "Briefing's in a minute and a half!"

Nick and Lunette's heads snapped round to look at the bunny before each other. All three of them started running for the Bullpen as fast as they could, there wasn't even time to say bye to Clawhauser but the cheetah watched them rush off quite happily.

* * *

Asra opened his eyes and stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling. The room was dark, the only light came from a tiny gap below the door, but Asra could see perfectly fine with just that much illumination. He always had good night vision but it was never this good before… is what Asra would probably be thinking if he wasn't panicking.

His dreams had been running rampant again, living like a savage animal, so Asra was very on edge when he awoke. Hunting was part of it but, perhaps thanks to the events yesterday, it only happened once. The majority of his dreams were very vague, there were other animals but he could never make them out, but there was warmth and safety.

"Good morning Asra" came a voice from one side.

Before Asra even turned his head to look he could detect a familiar scent that calmed him down. Unsurprisingly Noct was sat on a chair beside the bed, his green eyes flashing in the darkness.

"Good morning Mr… Dad" said Asra quietly as he sat up in the bed.

"Here" said Noct smiling slightly as he held something out.

Asra recognised the same sort of capsule Noct had given him back in the hospital. He reached out to take it, snapped it like he remembered Noct did, and swallowed it down. Noct then passed a glass of water over to wash it down.

"Where am I?" asked Asra once he had finished drinking and put the glass down on the bedside table again.

"Home" said Noct gently as he reached over and turned on the lamp that sat on the bedside table "this is your room now"

Asra's eyes widened as he looked around the bedroom in more detail this time. It was fairly bland, a white colour scheme for the walls, with only the bare essentials like a bed, a wardrobe etc. There was, however, lots of space to work with, Noct was planning to do some shopping at some point to make the place homelier. Asra would have been even more excited if he knew Noct's plans but just the room as it was right now was more than anything he'd had before.

"Come on, you should stretch your legs for a bit" said Noct standing up "I'm afraid you'll be sleeping for large parts of the day for several days to come till you're fully healed so you need to at least stretch your body while you are awake"

Asra felt full of energy right at that moment but he trusted Noct's words. He thought back to yesterday, he was fine up till they had dinner and then suddenly Asra had crashed and fallen asleep. The jackal jumped out of bed and followed Noct out into the main room.

"This is your apartment now" said Noct gesturing around "the bathroom is over there, there is a TV but personally I'd go upstairs and use the ridiculous one I have" Noct grinned "there is a fully functioning kitchenette but I'm going to say that you aren't allowed to use it for now. If you want to learn to cook I'll certainly teach you but you aren't allowed to do anything on your own till I'm satisfied with your progress. Besides, you'll be upstairs with me and Lunette most of the time"

Asra nodded along with Noct's words while his eyes flicked everywhere he could see. He'd never had a home before, he'd lived on the streets for as long as he could remember, him and a few other kids banded together occasionally but they never had a place of their own. Asra could feel his eyes welling up but the moment he actually started to cry Noct knelt down and pulled the little jackal into a hug.

"I know Asra" said Noct "I know what it's like to not have family and I know what it's like to not have a home. So you just need to relax, none of this is going away, you can take all the time in the world"

Asra broke down into wracking sobs as he held onto Noct, not because of the apartment now but because there was someone there for him. He wasn't alone anymore, there were some things his friends on the streets could never fill in for, and yet now mammals understood him, knew what he had gone through.

Noct gently patted Asra on his head with a free paw while he waited for the pup to get everything out of his system.

_It's a good thing we found him when we did_ thought Noct  _not even taking the whole savage drug situation into account, if he was left on the streets for a few more years Asra would end up as broken as me or Nick_

It took a good few minutes before Asra began to calm down and several more before he let go of Noct's shirt. The panther gave him one last pat on the head and stood up, Noct raised an eyebrow as he looked down at his clothing, there were large holes torn in his shirt where Asra had been holding it.

"Well, I kind of expected that" chuckled Noct to reassure Asra who looked rather nervous "you aren't used to your body yet, part of me teaching you will be about control, both physically and emotionally. For now, just remember that you are stronger than you think, now how about we finish seeing the rest of the house?"

Asra wiped his nose and sniffled once but smiled and nodded. Noct walked over to one of the walls and waved Asra over to his side.

"You see that plug socket" said Noct pointing at the skirting board, Asra nodded "then go straight up from there" his finger rose up "until you see that diamond shape among the patterns on the wall. Go and wave a paw over it"

Asra was a little unsure but still stepped forwards. The diamond shape was pretty high up but it was just at the limit that the jackal could reach on tip toes. The first two swipes weren't quite high enough, Asra gave a little bounce on his feet and when he waved for the third time there was a quiet hiss and the wall next to him slid apart.

"That's what you did to open doors" Asra said looking up at Noct in awe.

Noct held up his right paw and pointed to his wrist with his left "there is a computer chip embedded in my wrist which allows me to access various things around the house. Since you are going to need to go between here and the penthouse I gave you a pair as well"

Asra looked down at his own paws like he was seeing them for the first time.

"They are very small, you won't be able to find them" smiled Noct "you never noticed anything different till I told you"

"Do they only open doors?" asked Asra curiously.

"They aren't some tiny, complete computer but they do have a few functions" said Noct as he stepped through the now open door "other than getting around the house only one of those is relevant to you. Once I show you how, you can use it to find where I am at any time, and I can see where you are as well" he looked down at Asra walking next to him "no more getting kidnapped for you" Asra nodded vigorously at that "there's only one thing, other than Nick, Judy and Lunette, you can't show anyone else how the tracking works okay?"

"Okay" said Asra firmly.

"Good boy" said Noct as he opened one of the doors in the corridor, this one was for the gym and training room "once you are fully recovered we'll be helping you get used to your new body and abilities in here" he gave Asra a few moments to look through the door with interest before he moved on again "And here is where we will be dealing with your instincts" this was the meditation room, Asra was very interested with the fountains but Noct hurried them on again, he was unsure how long Asra's energy levels would last for.

Again, there was a screen attached to the wall which Noct let Asra access and the roof opened up to let them back into the penthouse. All these hidden doors would close on a timer, providing nothing was blocking them, but using the microchips again would close them manually. Noct left Asra happily waving his paws over the ends of the bannisters, making the floor open and close, while Noct went to change the shirt he was wearing.

Asra was rather smitten with his new 'magical' ability to open doors and Noct watched from the side for a little while after he returned, letting the boy enjoy himself. But he had to step in eventually, Noct was paying close attention to Asra's condition and he figured that there was enough time to take the long way back.

They left the penthouse and took the elevator back down to the lobby, Asra was in much better condition than the first time he took this lift and he found that he could feel all the little shakes and judders as they descended.

It was midmorning so the lobby was fairly quiet, mammals who worked in the offices on the lower floors should all be at work by now, and it wasn't time for the next turnover of hotel residents on the higher floors.

A giant anteater in suit and tie, a burst of colour was added to the outfit with a vibrant blue-ish purple flower Noct would recognise as Beardtongue, was stood talking to some of the receptionists. He, along with the other reception staff, turned to look towards the private elevator as it opened.

Asra hid behind Noct when he noticed all the attention on them as they walked out into the lobby, unfortunately this only seemed to draw more interested gazes to him. The anteater stepped forwards to greet them.

"Good Morning Mr Clement" said the anteater with as much of a smile as his long snout could manage "you seem to have gained several companions recently"

"And good morning to you Manager Hargreaves" chuckled Noct "indeed, I have reconnected with family I was not expecting. And let me introduce you to my adopted son, Asra"

Manager Hargreaves raised an eyebrow before looking down at Asra who was peeking round Noct's side.

"Good Morning to you too Asra" he greeted politely.

Asra quickly hid behind Noct again, there were too many strangers around for him to feel comfortable right now, but a quiet 'Good Morning' could be heard.

"How is the Tower running?" asked Noct, as the majority owner he had a vested interest in this.

"Smoothly Sir" replied Hargreaves straightening up again "the vacancy in the office block on the fifth floor was filled by a graphical design company who finished moving in two days ago. The hotel is as popular as ever and profits are at the high end of the projections for this quarter"

After a few more minutes of conversation Noct excused himself and led Asra down a side corridor towards the main elevators of the Tower. Once they were gone the various receptionists began to talk amongst themselves.

"Never expected that from such a nice mammal like Mr Clement"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, how's he supposed to raise a jackal properly when he's a cat?"

"Not to mention that he's living with a wolf"

"So what? He's handsome, she's beautiful, and the boy's adorable. They're like the perfect family"

"Well I think it's quite scandalous, makes you wonder what the city is coming to"

"Ahem" Manager Hargreaves cleared his throat while he looked sideways at the receptionists who quickly grew quiet "regardless of one's personal opinions, I myself do not exactly approve of all this, it should not affect your professional conduct. I speak from experience that Mr Clement is the best mammal I have had the privilege of working under during my time. I would recommend that you do not jeopardise your positions here, you will not find better working conditions in this profession"

Down the corridor, standing beside an open lift, Noct smiled lightly. He had heard everything that had been said after he and Asra had left. Of course, he knew that there would be many who did not like his relationship with Lunette, Noct had paid careful attention to who had said what.

_Hargreaves continues to surprise_  thought Noct  _I knew he was rather conservative but he really is the most professional mammal I've ever met, I'm lucky to have him_

Asra was watching Noct a little confused, the elevator had arrived but they hadn't gone inside yet, Noct chuckled slightly at the pup's questioning look.

"You want the highest floor these lifts will go to" instructed Noct as they finally stepped inside, Asra happily pushed the right button, though he had to jump slightly to reach it.

This elevator was obviously not as impressive as the private one that connected to the penthouse, Asra could tell that they were going up quite a bit slower.

"If you just want to go through the penthouse and use the other lift, that's fine too" said Noct as if he read Asra's mind "but you should at least know how to get to your apartment normally"

Asra nodded slowly, he could feel himself getting a bit drowsy but didn't want to let it show. Not that he could hide it from Noct, the panther had been paying careful attention to Asra the entire time.

_He should be just about okay to get back to the apartment_  thought Noct.

The trip in the lift took several minutes more than the express elevator to the penthouse and Asra was swaying slightly when it arrived. Luckily no one else stopped the lift they were in, otherwise Noct would have had to carry Asra the last little distance. As it was Asra tottered along the corridor as they headed for the last apartment on the right.

"And the last thing there is to do now" said Noct as he fished around in his pockets "is to give you these"

Noct held out a pair of keys to Asra. The boy perked up a little as he reached out to take them. Noct nodded him towards the door and Asra, after fumbling slightly, opened the door to his apartment with his own two hands.

Noct shot forwards the second he saw Asra stumble and swept the pup off his feet before he could fall. Asra blinked sleepily in Noct's arms, he was still awake enough to tell what was happening, he just didn't have any strength anymore. Noct took him back to the bedroom and tucked Asra in once more, this was pretty much how long he had expected the boy to last.

"Asra, make sure you don't lose those keys" teased Noct gently as he took them from Asra's paw and placed them safely on the bedside table "It'll probably be near dinner time when you wake up again"

Asra vaguely nodded as much as he could but almost immediately there was a soft snoring as the pup drifted off to sleep once more. Noct stayed where he was for a while just to make sure Asra was settled properly before he returned upstairs. The floor closed up behind him, hiding the bottom floor of the penthouse, as Noct made his way to the kitchen. He settled down to do the washing up from the night before, there was a dishwasher but there wasn't too much that needed cleaning so Noct didn't bother with it.

He had had just about finished up and was putting away the frying pan when his phone beeped once and then twice more in quick succession. Noct put down the cooking implement, flipped out his phone and quickly tapped one of the icons, a green-ish grey video appeared showing what appeared to be an empty alleyway. Noct waited patiently, that beep was a proximity alarm, and sure enough a fuzzy figure appeared in view.

They scurried across the alley and the camera turned to follow them, the alley was revealed to be a familiar courtyard, and the figure halted in front of the door to Broken Clockwork. Noct tilted his head slightly as he observed, there were many different types of mammals that visited and he could tell a lot about them from how they acted when they arrived.

This mammal in particular knocked once and then waited patiently. Noct saw them glance at the light above the door that was not lit at this moment. After several minutes, when there was no change in their behaviour, Noct smiled. He had a client to meet.

* * *

Adeline Rover was a racoon. Similar to foxes, racoons were not viewed in the best light by Zootopia, certainly prejudices were fading but racoons were still thought of as sneaky and untrustworthy. Adeline, however, was an interesting sight. Her fur was soft and silky, clearly well looked after, without a hint of dirt or grime. She wore a modest amount of makeup that highlighted the masklike markings on her face, many racoons were insecure about their natural 'robber's mask' but not Adeline, she  _wanted_  others to know she was a racoon. She was wearing a smart business suit and trousers, a small hand bag hooked over her shoulder, and she was perfectly at home in that outfit.

Adeline stood in front of the door with interlocking gears carved in frosted glass and waited. She stood tall and confidently, Adeline gave off an aura of power, like she had inner strength racoons were not known to have. However, this was understandable. The Rovers were an  _old_  family in Zootopia. They had fingers in many pies though their main focus was on the media, the Rovers could be found behind many of the major newspapers and television corporations. And Adeline was the current head of the Rover family; she was a mammal of influence on par with Mr. Big, though the Rovers kept away from crime, so a certain kind of persona was expected.

Racoons have excellent night vision so Adeline was not inconvenienced in the courtyard. Despite it being nearly noon now, sunlight never penetrated down to the courtyard hidden between the Twin Calypso. Adeline had been waiting there in the dark for around half an hour now however she showed no signs of impatience.

The Rover family had made full use of Broken Clockwork's services in the past. Though Adeline had not been the head of the family at the time, she  _was_  being groomed as the next successor and was thus involved. She knew full well how to deal with Broken Clockwork. While some mammals may have given up by now and concluded the rumours were false, Adeline continued to wait. Only those who dealt with Broken Clockwork for long enough knew that you were under observation from the moment you enter the courtyard, not just when you enter the office.

There was a faint whine and the little light above the door flickered on, the dim light barely illuminating the rest of the courtyard. Adeline took a deep breath, it would seem that the rumours had been true after all. Not that the Rovers had doubted them, Broken Clockwork was an existence known only to the upper echelon of Zootopia and no one who knew of them would dare to impersonate them.

Still, it had been ten years, as the new matriarch Adeline had felt it only proper to come in person. Along with this it would be her first time interacting with Broken Clockwork as a figure of authority rather than as an heir to her family. Not wanting to waste any time Adeline pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The office was exactly as it had always been described to her, a large bookcase filled with aged books covered the wall to her right, a large grandfather clock sat directly opposite the door as she entered. A large ornate desk sat in front of a line of filing cabinets along the back wall. The room was clean and organised, no sign of dust or neglect, it was like Broken Clockwork had never disappeared.

There was only one other mammal present, a panther in black suit and tie, wearing sunglasses despite the dimness of the room, was sat at the desk.

"Welcome to Broken Clockwork" said the panther quietly gesturing at the chair sat opposite him.

Adeline sat very gracefully, her legs crossed in front of her, her paws resting on the handbag placed in her lap, as she observed the mammal sat opposite her.

"My name is Adeline Rover" said the racoon as she introduced herself, she paid careful attention to the panther, trying to judge his reaction to her name, but she was disappointed by his unreadable expression "how should I address you?"

"Ah, so it is the head of the Rover family" said the panther quietly "an honour to have you here in our little establishment. You can simply call me Gear"

"Very well Mr Gear" smiled Adeline "if you don't mind me asking, what happened to the fox who used to work here? We've never heard anything about a panther being connected to Broken Clockwork"

"We were always a two-person business, madam" Mr Gear leant forwards on the desk "my colleague however has retired from our line of work during our absence. Rest assured though, Broken Clockwork will continue to function as normal, so the question is… what does my first client in ten years want from Broken Clockwork?"

Adeline was silent for a few minutes as she picked as much information out from what Mr Gear had said as possible. While she had people subtly blocking off the Twin Calypso so that no one else would bother her visit, Adeline had come without any immediate support or monitoring as a sign of good faith. This meant that she had to take in and remember every little thing about the newly returned Broken Clockwork so that the Rovers would not fall behind.

"Recently" began Adeline "we have been encountering issues with Mr. Big's mammals in-"

"Denied!" said Mr Gear curtly before his lips curled slightly "I know for a fact you are on good terms with Mr. Big, not that it matters, what is your actual request?"

"We always thought there was some kind of connection between you and Mr. Big, I mean he endorsed you but so did many others" chuckled Adeline slightly "I apologise for inquiring in such a manner"

"It's nothing major Mrs Rover, we have never particularly hidden who Broken Clockwork has good relationships with, Mr. Big has been of great assistance to us over the years. So, what might the Rover family actually wish to request?"

Sure enough, providing that you were polite and did not cross any metaphorical lines in the sand, Broken Clockwork was perfectly civilised to interact with.

"Times have changed Mr Gear, some old players have left, families and organisations declined. And of course, new mammals rose to take their places on the high stage. Many of the new blood appeared after Broken Clockwork disappeared, they have either heard vague rumours of you or know nothing at all. I will not lie, there is certain friction between the established groups and the recently uplifted"

Mr Gear retreated deep into his padded chair and steepled his fingers in contemplation. This was not unexpected, the city had grown and changed for ten years without Broken Clockwork, anyone privy to the right knowledge could predict it would happen. Adeline reached into her handbag and pulled out a brown envelope that she placed on the desk. A sudden movement beside the panther made Adeline stiffen for a moment. Mr Gear's tail sinuously rose into view and scooped the envelope off the desk and into his hands. A flick of a claw easily sliced the envelope open and the panther began to browse the papers it held.

"Randal Wombach" stated Adeline as she saw Mr Gear pull a photograph of a rather plump looking wombat out of the envelope "a business-mammal who owns various nightclubs and bars across the city. A trivial character at our level, something he greatly dislikes, he still needs to pay 'tribute' to Mr. Big among others if his clubs are on their territory. New on the scene, intimidated by the power groups like my family wield, these new mammals often resort to acts that our older faction disapprove of"

"I see" said Mr Gear, the wrinkles on his forehead showed that he was frowning behind his sunglasses "Mr Wombach uses his clubs to distribute drugs, organise prostitution…" the panther raised an eyebrow "occasional mammal trafficking? How does that manage to fly? I know for a fact that the Chief of Police keeps his forces in an iron grip, he won't stand for any corruption in his officers"

"Since the clubs themselves are running the crimes, rather than hosting them unknowingly, it is far easier for them to hide everything from prying eyes. As for the trafficking… as you said it is only on occasion. And when they do they always target species that people won't care about too much" Adeline's eyes hardened "mainly racoons… or foxes"

Mr Gear gave a toothy grin as he pulled out the photograph of Randal once more. Despite the seemingly amiable expression on his face Adeline felt rather unnerved.

"And you dislike your species being targeted?" asked Mr Gear snorting slightly "is such a chivalrous reason why you are here?"

"Of course not, Mr Gear" said Adeline with a very neutral expression "it is certainly a bonus that the trafficking will stop but you should know that none of the players on the high stage would be moved by something as naïve as pity"

"Family comes first" said Mr Gear slowly, almost to himself "so what has Mr Wombach done to earn the ire of the Rover family?"

"Since he started his more distasteful activities Randal Wombach's worth and power has indeed risen. This increase in rank and reputation, while minor, seems to have gone to his head. A problem that afflicts many of the new blood, they are getting ideas above their station, Mr Wombach in particular" Adeline sneered in disgust "despite joining the upper echelons of Zootopia, the new blood are young and inexperienced, they have not been around long enough to learn all the secrets and ins and outs you need to survive at the top. Many of them do not even know who else holds power in the city"

"Ah" nodded Mr Gear as a light of understanding appeared in his eyes "Mr Wombach is trying to expand"

"Indeed, the problem is that he has no idea that the areas he is trying to get a stake in already belong to others" Adeline sighed in exasperation "We are not the only ones who are not happy with Mr Wombach at the moment, in my case he has set his eyes on one of our smaller newspapers"

"Hmm, he has some sense" the panther flicked through the paperwork he had till it mentioned the newspaper "the Daily Herd is small enough that he could get some sort of grip on it… if it wasn't already backed by your family. Having control over the media in some form would give him another layer of protection. So, what is it that you wish?"

"From what we have gathered about Randal Wombach he is a very particular mammal, likes things to go to plan and run on schedule, he likes schedules a lot. He has been seen writing in and referring to various notebooks while we observed him"

"So it is very likely that he has incriminating evidence written down somewhere" concluded Mr Gear.

"Yes, we would like Broken Clockwork to find anything linking him to his illegal activities"

Mr Gear was silent for several minutes, Adeline waited patiently, she had a good feeling about this meeting so far.

"Very well, Broken Clockwork will take this job on" spoke the panther "I'll be in touch once the evidence has been acquired"

"Oh that's not necessary" said Adeline with a little grin "I want you to deliver everything you find straight to the desk of the Chief of Police, I'm sure we'll notice when you are successful"

"Mr Wombach would appear to have stepped on the tiger's tail, so to say" said Mr Gear raising an eyebrow, his opinion of the head of the Rover family rose several notches "Delivering the evidence to the police will cause a lot of ripples" the panther grinned that unnerving grin again "it would seem that my first mission in ten years will be an entertaining one"

After reaching an agreement the two mammals spent ten minutes or so discussing the price. Adeline was surprised at how cheap Mr Gear quoted his services. He simply pointed out that now there was only him at Broken Clockwork and that he would feel awkward charging the same fees. Even so Adeline did not want to compromise, regardless of making a good relationship with the newly returned Broken Clockwork, just their past accolades warranted suitable payment. In the end they settled on 80,000 Zootopian Dollars, roughly two thirds what Broken Clockwork used to charge on average.

"Oh yes, Mr Gear" said Adeline as she stood up to leave now her business was over "Mr. Big is organising a get together sometime soon. Given your good relationship with him, you wouldn't happen to be attending, would you?"

"Why Adeline, you wouldn't be asking me on a date would you?" smirked Mr Gear "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint, I already have a mate"

"Why Mr Gear, I will have you know that I am a married woman"

There was silence for a few moments before the two of them burst into easy laughter.

"I will be attending" said Mr Gear with a smile "I look forwards to seeing you there, it has been a pleasure working with you"

"Likewise on both accounts Mr Gear, you'll have to introduce me to your mate at the party, and I am eagerly awaiting news of your success"

Walking with immense confidence Adeline exited the office, the door clicking gently shut behind her and leaving Mr Gear, Noct, alone in the office. Noct picked up the paperwork once again; he reread everything provided three times more, he didn't need to since he had already committed all the details to memory but it was a habit to make sure he never slipped up.

The job seemed fairly straightforward, Randal Wombach actually lived above his main nightclub in Downtown. As a club it would be busy at night but that had never stopped Broken Clockwork before, if anything it gave Noct more to work with. He drummed his fingers on the desk a few times, the information provided by the Rovers was good, the only problem was that there wasn't enough to properly put together a plan.

Noct reached into his jacket pocket and took out his phone. He stared at it for a long while before deciding what to do first. First he sent a message to Lunette saying 'I love you', most of their messages since they exchanged numbers again were like that, before bringing up his contacts.

The ringing of the phone cut through the offbeat ticking of the grandfather clock. When it finally picked up there was a blurry "Hwa?" from the other end.

"It's gone midday Bakari" said Noct with a grin "you really need to wake up"

"What's Aaww- what's the matter Noct" yawned Bakari on the other end of the call.

"I have a job for you, that's what"


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo Last here once again
> 
> It's been a little while (I kind of got distracted by a war story - World War Zoo, if you hadn't noticed) but here is the latest chapter of BC.
> 
> Part of this was planned the other half was written on the fly, can you tel which is which?
> 
> Anywho, have some fluffy, drama-y, backstory-y goodness

“I’m telling you Carrots, you haven’t eaten in Zootopia till you’ve been to Ricetta’s”

Nick and Judy were sat in their cruiser. Today Bogo had sent them and Lunette to the Rainforest District which meant a slightly lazier day. The mixture of terrifying heights, deadly drops and far too much moisture in the air, even if it wasn’t time for a scheduled rainstorm, discouraged the sort of low level crime that they normally looked out for on patrol.

Crime never stopped of course but patrol in the Rainforest District was normally a bit calmer than the other parts of Zootopia. At least it was as long as you were confident with driving in conditions that ranged from damp to drenched.

It turned out that Lunette had never driven in such an environment before and one hair raising moment driving past a very long drop was enough for the rabbit and fox also in the vehicle. Judy took over and it was agreed that the next time they were in the Rainforest District they would take Lunette to ground level to get some practice in.

Of course, Lunette still needed to get some experience around the district on foot as well. This was why the wolf was not present in the cruiser, currently she was out trekking to the nearest café to get a round of drinks while they were on break, Judy had specifically parked with what seemed like a natural obstacle course between the car and the shops.

“Alright Slick” said Judy looking away from the scenery and towards her partner “what’s so special about this ‘Ricetta’s’ then?”

“Special?” Nick scratched under his muzzle as he pondered “not really anything special about it, Ricetta is just a damn good cook who owns her own restaurant now”

Judy just kept staring at Nick, he could see her nose twitching slightly in a way which he’d learnt to recognise as a sign that she didn’t believe him.

 _An extremely adorable sign_ he thought to himself with an internal smirk _not that I’d ever tell her that_.

“Okay, okay” said Nick in mock defeat “so she may have been Mr. Big’s personal chef at one point” Nick raised a paw before Judy could open her mouth “no ties to crime, she’s just a chef. And now she’s gone solo as it were, lots of big shots frequent her place, though she still has a soft spot for Mr. Big. Ricetta did the catering for Fru Fru’s wedding you know”

“Really? That stuff was delicious” Judy raised her eyebrows at this piece of information.

“I know, right? Just a shame that she had prepared for a shrew sized event, the portions were tiny”

There was quiet for a minute as the two of them kept waiting for Lunette to return.

“Wait a minute” said Judy frowning “if it’s a restaurant for the rich and powerful then why did you bring it up, we’d never be able to get in”

“Ah, you’re right” said Nick as if a lightbulb had lit up in his head “why didn’t I think of that? Officer’s Hopps and Wilde certainly aren’t the type to get a table there”

“So why-“

“However Nick, the fox who is half of Broken Clockwork, and his good friend Judy will most definitely be welcomed there” said Nick with a devious smirk.

Judy shook her head with a sigh as she watched Nick look so very pleased with himself.

“Spill it Slick” she said “and none of your ‘I know everyone’ spiel this time”

“Alright” chuckled Nick as he sat up in his seat a bit more “as I said, Ricetta was the personal chef to the Big family for a while, this was back while me and Noct were still under Mr. Big’s wing. So of course we got to know Ricetta, her and Noct get along like a house on fire since he’s pretty good in the kitchen himself” Nick paused and seemed to get lost in some memories for a moment while Judy just waited patiently “She’s one of the few mammals that know who Broken Clockwork are. Ricetta took to mothering us quite a lot, especially Noct once she found out about his family or lack of one, she did her best trying to fill in for me too after-“

Nick’s eyes widened when he realised just where exactly this conversation was heading and he winced a little. Judy blinked a few times in surprise at Nick’s action as she thought about what he said.

“Nick?” asked Judy quietly “Is- is your mother-“

“Judy!” Nick barked.

Judy flinched at the tone of Nick’s voice and shrank into her seat unconsciously, she’d never heard Nick speak like that before, it was harsh and it was final. She clamped her mouth shut when she realised that she may have stepped into a dangerous topic.

Nick immediately regretted how he’d spoken when he saw Judy curl up, she didn’t know anything about his family life which was why she asked, it wasn’t her fault that Nick did not want to think about that sort of thing at the moment.

“Nick-“

“Judy I-“

Nick snorted and there was a little chuckle from Judy when they spoke up at the same time.

“I’m sorry Judy” said Nick in a much softer voice “I really didn’t mean to snap like that, I just really don’t want to talk about my family right now”

“No, I’m sorry Nick” said Judy cheering up again “I- I mean I should have guessed something given you never talk about your parents and instead I just ran straight in and started asking questions that I shouldn’t have and I don’t want to make you remember something you don’t want to and-“

“Carrots, you’re rambling” said Nick with a gentle smile as he watched Judy getting all flustered.

“Ah, right, sorry” said Judy as her ears flopped down over her face to hide her embarrassment.

There was silence in the cruiser but it didn’t last, slowly but getting faster and louder, raindrops began to fall onto the car with a pitter-patter sound. There was still no sign of Lunette as the rain began to get heavier, Nick sighed and checked his phone, it was just coming up time for the scheduled rainy period. They had thought Lunette would have plenty of time to get to the nearest café and back before the weather turned but for some reason or another the wolf would appear to have been delayed.

“My mother isn’t dead, if that’s what you were going to ask” said Nick quietly as he stared out of his passenger window “we’re just… estranged. My father however passed away when I was young, long before that story I told you about the scouts…”

Nick paused, even just being alone with Judy, this was about all he could manage to make himself talk about. His distance from his mother was entirely his own fault and he knew better than anyone that he had no clue how to fix that relationship.

Nick blinked when he felt something on his paw that was resting in his lap. Glancing down he saw that Judy had leant across the middle of the car and placed her paw on his, she didn’t say anything, in fact she was distinctly not looking at him. Nick looked back out the window as well but he shifted his paw so that their fingers intertwined.

 _What is it about Judy?_ Nick thought to himself _she always manages to do something that cheers me up, gives me strength, pushes me forwards to be better._

“You know foxes have a weaker immune system?” he could just make out her reflection nodding in the window “well when I was three years old there was a terrible winter in Zootopia. Illness spread like wildfire, just coughs and sneezes, the flu, but that was danger enough for us foxes. Add to that how foxes were still discriminated against at this time, both mum and dad had jobs just to put food on the table, but that was about all we could afford” Nick only knew of this from what his mother had told him and what history he had learnt over the years as he had been too young to remember anything clearly “Medicine was a luxury that we couldn’t really afford. Dad made mum stop working, she stayed at home looking after me, and dad… he went and took another two odd jobs on as well as his first, I don’t know what it was he did but it wasn’t glamourous. He worked himself to the bone to make sure we had food on the table and medicine to keep the colds at bay. My father obviously overworked himself over that winter, even with the medicine it wasn’t enough to keep illness at bay, not with his body so worn out” Nick felt Judy tighten her grip on his paw and he squeezed back “he fell ill and passed away not long into the spring. But my mother and I were perfectly healthy, that’s the sort of lengths a fox will go to for their family. If I wasn’t around mum would probably have wasted away without him but she had a kit to look after.”

Nick watched the raindrops running down the window, he wouldn’t cry, never let them see that they get to you, but for a moment it felt like the world was crying for him. Hearing a quiet sob Nick turned back from the window to find Judy crying, noticing his attention she hastily rubbed her eyes with her free paw, not moving the one holding onto Nick in the slightest.

“Not many people get to hear stories like that Carrots, least of all rabbits” said Nick trying to lighten the atmosphere “you should consider yourself lucky”

There was a light laugh as Judy turned to look over at Nick. Her eyes were a little red around the edges, and still seemed shiny with moisture, but all that just seemed to emphasise the way she was looking at him. It was concern, it was worry, it was so very pure, it was-

Nick jerked his head round and focussed on the raindrops while it felt like someone put out a cigarette on his heart.

_Really? Just a look now?_

_Yeah but what a look, I mean did you see that? How did you get a mammal like her to care about you?_

_… I don’t know… I really don’t know…_

“So when are we going to Ricetta’s?” asked Judy, her voice only slightly shaking as she calmed down.

“Not this weekend at least” said Nick, trust Judy to know exactly when to change subjects “my apartment should hopefully be finished and I want to give you the grand tour, I guess we’ll just have to see after that”

“Oh good” grinned Judy “because apparently someone told me that until I go there I haven’t actually eaten anything in Zootopia”

This got a chuckle from her partner and the car was back to feeling cosy once more. Apart from the fact that Judy was still holding Nick’s paw, a fact that she was becoming increasingly aware of as everything went back normal, she tried her hardest to stop the slow blush that felt like it was running up the back of her neck towards her ears. But despite how flustered or embarrassed she was getting Judy didn’t want to let go, his paw was so much bigger than hers, it gave her this safe, warm feeling.

There was a sudden knocking on one of the windows before a door was flung open and a sopping wet Officer Furle collapsed into the back seats. Nick and Judy sat up like they’d been struck by lightning, disentangling their paws in record time, though Lunette was in too much of a state to notice.

Lunette held out a plastic container that had two cups of coffee wedge in it towards the front seats which Nick hurriedly took from her. Judy rummaged around under her seat for a moment before pulling out a towel which she passed back to Lunette.

Nick passed Judy’s coffee over, he could smell carrots mixed with the scent of coffee, and they had a brief moment just to drink while Lunette dried herself off as best she could. The coffee had gone slightly cold but given the weather Lunette had just been caught in that was understandable.

“So what happened Nix?” asked Nick curiously as he took another sip of his drink.

“We’re sorry” apologised Judy “we thought you’d have plenty of time to get back before the rain hit”

“It’s fine” said Lunette draping the towel over her shoulders “Just… don’t ask. I don’t think I like the Rainforest District very much”

“Well, an incident like this is very good for encouraging you to keep a close check on the rain schedule out here” said Nick “it’s happened to me enough times over the years”

“I’m just not sure what to do about this” Lunette gestured to her uniform that was still dripping all over the place “we haven’t even gotten to lunch yet, I don’t know if I can deal with a soaked uniform all day”

Judy frowned, she could certainly understand where Lunette was coming from, unfortunately it was a bit of a treck to return to the precinct. She turned to look at her partner, it was times like these that Nick turned into a veritable fountain of Zootopian wisdom. Almost as if sensing that his time had come Nick shot a smirk over at Judy before turning back to Lunette.

“What the Rainforest District provides, the Rainforest District can also take away” he said mysteriously before going back to talking normally “there are public full body air dryers dotted all over the district, once it stops raining we’ll find you one of them and you’ll be good as new in one glorious three-minute cycle”

Lunette seemed content with that and sank back in her seat and closed her eyes. Nick and Judy smiled and sat back facing forwards again, at least any criminals would be just as inconvenienced as they were, all they could do was wait for the seemingly endless rain to stop. Which it eventually did, right on schedule.

* * *

 

The gentle sound of flowing water was the only thing that could be heard in the room. Noct was sat naked in a full lotus position, with his legs crossed up onto his thighs, on one of the cushions in the centre of the meditation room. He was breathing very slowly, you would be forgiven if you didn’t notice it, and he seemed to meld into the scenery like a statue.

It had been two days since he had accepted the job from Adeline Rover, not that many of Broken Clockwork’s missions had a time limit, most clients simply left the agency to their own devices. There was a good reason why Noct waited till Friday, and for why he was currently meditating surrounded by stone and water. Noct would of course utilise all his skills and abilities, every aspect of his body that was enhanced, in order to complete his task.

For this to work however Noct had to be free of the restraining effects of his Suppressors. There were two ways of doing this; wait until the Suppressors had naturally left his system while he didn’t take any more of the tablets, or take a Catalyst.

A Catalyst was another drug that Noct manufactured which served as a sort of counter balance to his Suppressors. The name Catalyst was a bit of a misnomer, the drug didn’t actually stimulate his condition, it simply broke down any Suppressors in Noct’s body at a very rapid pace. This would bring Noct into his peak form very quickly, however the sudden flood of information to his senses meant that Noct did not enjoy taking a Catalyst, the drug was more of a panic button to be used in emergencies.

Another factor was that Noct very rarely needed to be in peak condition for his jobs, trying to use a great sword as a letter opener was how he tended to think of it, so unless the job was particularly risky Noct would allow his Suppressors to wear off naturally as it would usually take about a week for him to be completely free of their effects.

After two days Noct was at a state where he felt that he could deal with anything untoward that may happen when he visited Mr Wombach. Other than spending time with Asra while the pup was awake, and just being with his mate when Lunette was home from work, Noct had spent most of the past few days in the meditation room. As his senses began to increase in sensitivity Noct would use meditation to help keep himself calm and under control.

While his body was completely adapted to his capabilities, and his mind was suitably trained to cope as well, Noct disliked being overly sensitive at all times, hence why he takes Suppressors. If he did not meditate while the Suppressors wore off Noct often found himself becoming very irritable and grouchy, this was okay if it was just him alone but now he had a family and did not want to subject them to grumpy Noct.

So two days of meditation without taking any Suppressors was the route he had opted for and it had worked perfectly well. A sharp beeping rang in Noct’s ears three times before it stopped. There was nothing else in the room, and in fact most other mammals wouldn’t have heard anything. Noct knew his own body perfectly so left his alarm clock two rooms over, his current sense of hearing was even better than Judy’s.

Noct opened his eyes, they seemed deep and clear despite the slit-like pupils, like the water that flowed round the edges of the room. The panther smoothly unfolded himself from his position and stood up with a slight stretch. With a small bend of the knees Noct leapt into the air, he flew a good four or five metres over the artistically raked gravel and landed beside the door to the room.

Shutting the meditation room behind him Noct headed two doors down, the room where he had left his alarm. This room was much smaller than the others, it did not have any particular use and only seemed to hold a table but no chairs, if asked Noct would call it a changing room. The table was covered with various different things that Noct had prepared for his ‘outing’ to Mr Wombach’s nightclub.

Working from left to right across the table, Noct picked up one of two different tubs of what looked like gel, gathering a generous amount he began to meticulously coat himself in it. After making sure he had covered every single part of himself he stood and waited for the gel to dry in and work its magic. A few minutes later and he repeated the process with the second tub of gel.

The first gel was a particularly powerful deodorant Noct had devised, his own scent was quite strong and, more importantly, unique. The deodorant would completely erase any scents on Noct and would keep functioning for up to six hours before it naturally degraded. The only downside was that the stuff was highly soluble in water.

That was where the second gel comes in, it was a waterproofing agent, after applying and waiting for it to dry it would leave a thin hydrophobic layer covering Noct’s skin and fur. So proper application was very important so no part was missing a coat. This waterproofing meant that fluids would simply roll off of Noct and not interfere with the first gel’s job.

Once both the gels had been used, and left to dry, Noct moved on. Noct picked up what looked like several pieces of very narrow tape, two short curved pieces and two longer straight pieces. With a practiced paw Noct parted the fur behind and around his ears and stuck the ‘tape’ in place. A few moments later and he parted the fur vertically down each side of his throat and placed the longer pieces. The ‘tape’ was thin enough that his fur simply moved back into place and covered it all from view.

Reaching down for his wrist Noct pressed lightly, as if he was taking his pulse, and waited. A few moments later and-

“Hey Noct, are we ready to roll?”

Noct smiled when he heard Bakari’s voice inside his head. It would be very odd for a mammal not used to it. The ‘tape’ was in fact a microphone and earpiece, the piece curved around his ear would send the sound straight into his head ensuring no one else could hear what he did, and the mic was extremely sensitive meaning that he could talk without attracting attention.

“Just testing my gear right now, I’ll tell you when I set out” said Noct barely opening his mouth, probably only Judy would have been able to tell that he’d said anything at all.

With his communications sorted Noct let go of his wrist, they were of course connected to the microchip embedded there, while not something out of science fiction it did have a small switch for functions like this.

Next on the table was a thin over shirt, it was soft as silk and seemed to ripple and flow when his picked it up, the material would not hinder him in the slightest. Not that this was his outfit for the evening, no that was why he had such a varied wardrobe upstairs, this undershirt had another function.

Pockets.

It was covered in pockets, almost completely, it was difficult to find a space that wasn’t a useful hidey-hole. Noct shrugged the top on over his head before looking down at the selection that covered most of the table. There were many, many little packets of powders, some black but many of various colours as well, you might have mistaken them for packets of vibrant powder paint.

They were certainly not powder paints. Each had a different effect, ranging from merely sending a mammal to sleep, to inducing various emotions and feelings like happiness or rage, to more… darker functions. Noct did not normally need to use his various concoctions, except maybe for the sleeping powder, however he would prepare all of his resources for any mission he took. That was an old habit of his, and as Broken Clockwork were fond of saying, old habits kept you alive.

After the last of the packets were secreted away in the various pockets of his undershirt, the table now looked a lot more bare than before. A pile of clothes was the next stop, a black jacket worn unbuttoned over a grey T-shirt, with a dark pair of jeans to match. Nothing like the black shirt, black trousers and red tie Noct normally wore. Certainly, for some jobs Noct would wear clothing more adapted for his line of work but he did not feel it was necessary this time.

This left only three things lying on the table now, his phone on which he had set his alarm, a USB stick and a small box. Noct swiped the all of them, the USB went into a zip up pocket of his jacket, his phone into his trouser pocket and he held onto the box.

The USB stick was very important, it was something he had picked up from Bakari, and was the key to getting her help tonight. The USB contained a virus the caracal had designed, extremely hard to detect and had no malicious effects except for one thing, it opened a backdoor in any system you plugged it into. A backdoor that Bakari would be waiting for and once she was in their electronics Bakari could do pretty much whatever she liked.

Most missions that involved a location with at least some form of intranet or computer system would start with Noct searching for the easiest place to get Bakari piggybacking their technology. The virus was also designed to delete itself after a few hours but that was just another thing that put a time limit on Noct’s work, he already had several so that didn’t bother him.

Scanning the room one last time, Noct was happy he hadn’t forgotten anything and walked out, shutting the door behind him. Asra had been awake enough to see Lunette when she got back from work and they had an early meal before the pup fell back asleep. They had moved him back to his bedroom and left him breathing gently. Noct smiled slightly before heading for the steps up to the penthouse.

The ceiling/floor split apart as he ascended the steps and Noct glanced around the living room as his head popped into view. No sign of Lunette, his ears twitched and his head then followed to look towards the office. Silently Noct walked over to the open door and leant against the frame.

Lunette was typing away on the computer, for the first time ever she could finish her reports at home, and it was a welcome luxury. She had never had enough money for a laptop, and when she did save up enough there were so many other things that the money needed to go on back in Los Antleres. Lunette often had to stay in the department far later than many other mammals simply because she had no other way of doing her work.

Having Noct waiting for her at home had always made things more tolerable but she always wished she could get back to him a little earlier. And now she could. Lunette smiled to herself and stretched her arms over her head. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a pair of arms wrapped round her from behind and made Lunette freeze up in shock. Moments later she realised who it must be and relaxed a little as she held their paws with her own.

“Fenrir’s blood!” she swore quietly with a sigh “don’t do that to me honey”

“Sorry couldn’t resist” grinned Noct as he looked down at her “thought I’d pop in and say goodbye before I went out for work”

“Work huh? Still not going to tell me about it?” asked Lunette gazing back up at her mate, his savage eyes no longer phased her at all after two days.

“Nope, I’ll have you know I’m very professional” Noct said kissing Lunette gently on the top of her head “I take client confidentiality very seriously though I expect you’ll find out about this job once I’m done”

Lunette just shook her head slightly and leant back against Noct happily. It was a few moments later when, despite the cosy atmosphere, she noticed that something didn’t feel right to her. She sniffed the air a few times and frowned.

“No wonder you snuck up on me” she said looking up at Noct curiously “why can’t I smell you?”

“Scent remover” explained Noct “you know I smell rather unique, can’t be leaving any traces like that”

Lunette frowned again and tightened her grip on Noct.

“Is it permanent?”

“Of course not” Lunette relaxed at his words “it only lasts a couple of hours, it will probably have worn off by the time you see me again”

“In that case, good luck with your job, and you’re sure you aren’t doing anything bad?”

“Bruma, you don’t need to worry, this job is going to put some serious heat under a rather bad mammal. You’ll understand what I mean when you see it, it won’t be hard to miss”

Lunette leant her head back and Noct leant down forwards and their lips met in the middle. It may seem slightly awkward with the shapes of their muzzles but the two had long ago found that they fit together quite well like this. Breaking apart Noct planted another kiss on the top of Lunette’s head and turned to go.

“Don’t take too long with whatever it is you’re doing” he heard as he reached the door.

“I’ll be back before you even notice” he said over his shoulder as Lunette returned to her reports.

He tossed the little box in the air a few times as he headed for the front door and the elevator beyond. Noct was in a very good mood right now, along with an anticipation, it had been far, far too long since Broken Clockwork had been active in Zootopia. Stepping inside the elevator Noct did not reach for the buttons to his left, instead he reached out and waved his wrist over one of the seemingly identical panels to his right.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid shut behind him, Noct looked down at the box in his hand for a few moments before he opened it up. Inside, two vials were slotted into the box, each of which contained a contact lens. Even with Noct’s reflexes, and the smoothness of the lift, it was still just shaky enough that he couldn’t be bothered to put them on when he could wait just a few seconds more and reach his destination.

The lift dinged once more as it came to a halt, if another mammal had been present and paying attention they would have known that the journey was too long for reaching the lobby, they must be in the underground carpark. Except that the doors didn’t open, at least not the doors you would expect, in front of Noct the rear wall of the elevator split open to reveal a darkened area. This led to a secret exit from the Chrysalis Tower, Noct couldn’t just be seen coming and going whenever he was on a mission.

Now that everything was still Noct used the mirrored walls of the elevator to put his contact lenses in. They weren’t because Noct had bad eyesight or anything and this time they weren’t some high-tech gadget for him to use either. They would cover his savage eyes and, if anything, you could call them a tradition. Noct blinked a few times and grinned at himself in the mirror when he was sure everything was fine.

Red eyes stared back at him… and the Shade went to work. 


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, Last here again
> 
> I know I've been a bit slow writing recently but this also turned out to be the longest chapter I've written so far :/
> 
> Up next we get a proper look at how Broken Clockwork operates, at least I hope we do
> 
> Out of interest, has anything in this story caught you by surprise? let me know down below

Darkness blanketed Zootopia. It was late, dusk had just about passed, and the gentle oranges of sunset had vanished over the horizon. Now was the exchange, the changeover between the parts of the city that functioned during the day and the parts that ran through the night. If you were some kind of deity and took a casual glance at Zootopia at night you would think that it was far calmer than the hustle and bustle of daily life.

You’d be wrong though. Given the number of mammals with nocturnal tendencies, along with those that just liked to let loose at night, the city was just as busy after sundown as it was during the day. You just needed to know where to look. Certainly, the very centre of Downtown appeared crowded, with mammals lining the neon-lit streets, but that was because there was so much to do in Downtown. The rest of the city looked almost deserted at night, save for the odd group walking together or a few loners on the prowl.

Most of the activity was, of course, located indoors. Clubs, bars, dives, hangouts, these sorts of places could be found throughout the city, not just Downtown, and could cater for any want or desire you might have, provided you knew where to find them.

Noct was buzzing as he made his way through the crowded streets of Downtown, this was his time, his senses were drowning in the Zootopian nightlife. The muffled noise of mammals talking was an excellent cover, the constant meeting of light and shadow from flickering lamps was all Noct needed to vanish from sight, the very atmosphere of mystery that the night carried was a tool for him to use.

Yes, this was when Noct was at his most effective, and also when Noct enjoyed himself the most.

_Dealing in information just never gave me the same sort of thrill as this_ Noct thought to himself as he gradually drew closer to his target _even if what I’m doing is pretty similar, just knowing that tonight I’m representing Broken Clockwork again is enough to send a shiver down my spine._

Noct came to a stop, across the street was his destination, and he could already make out the long line queueing up for entry. The nightclub was called Temptation, Noct sniggered at the name for a moment knowing what went on within its walls.

He had done his research, Noct was never less than 100% prepared before he started to move, so he knew that there was more than just one entrance. Crossing the empty street, Noct walked unnoticed past the main entrance, with its long wait time and strict bouncers, and entered an alley that ran beside the club. He vanished into the dark, red eyes gleaming in the shadows, and the sounds of nightlife faded away behind him.

Sure enough, round at the back of the nightclub, there was another door with a little light above. It looked identical to any other door you might find in an alleyway behind a building except for the fact that there was a large grizzly bear wearing a black T-shirt that seemed slightly too small for him. The bear’s muscles strained the fabric and made him an intimidating sight. The bear’s eyes narrowed slightly when a figure suddenly stepped out of the darkness into the pool of light around the door he stood in front of.

The panther was well built for his species but even then, he was barely a third the size of the grizzly bear. So why was it that the bouncer was feeling slightly unnerved by the mammal in front of him.

“I’ve been told this is a much better way into Temptation” said Noct with a grin as he stopped just out of the bouncer’s reach.

“Oh yeah?” replied the bear gruffly “who told you that?”

“That’s not a question you should be asking”

The bouncer didn’t seem very amused and made no move to let Noct pass.

“I have to say” said Noct with a sigh “I have a lot of respect for mammals who can put up with jobs like yours”

Noct reached into his pockets and pulled something out which he promptly tossed to the bear. Frowning the bear snatched whatever it was out of the air and looked down at his paws. It was a wad of cash, fifty dollar notes the bear noticed as his eyes widened, looking at the size of the stack this was a good couple of months wages for him.

“Call it a token of appreciation” said Noct still oozing self-confidence “I won’t mistreat my friend’s subordinates”

Everything about the situation was building up a picture in the bouncer’s head. The panther’s words, his supposed connection to the bear’s superiors, his actions, the way he tossed that money out like it was nothing, his attitude, the charisma that you only had if you _could_ toss out that much money like it was nothing.

_This is definitely someone above my paygrade_ thought the bear hurriedly as he pocketed the cash.

The bouncer turned and opened the door before standing politely out of the way.

“I hope you have a pleasant evening sir”

Noct nodded his thanks as he walked into the nightclub and the bear shut the door once more, the brief thudding of the music echoed down the alley. The bouncer resumed his posturing, waiting for the next mammal who wanted to get in, hopefully this time he would spot them coming a little earlier. He thought back to how the panther had just appeared out of nowhere and shuddered slightly. About five minutes later, when no one else had shown up, the bouncer couldn’t resist and pulled the wad of money out to count through it.

* * *

 

Noct found himself walking down a nondescript corridor, the only thing that hinted that he was going in the right direction, other than the fact this was the only path, was that the dull thumping of loud music was steadily getting stronger.

Just ahead the corridor turned a corner to his right and, as Noct walked round it, he saw another set of doors. This time there was a hippo, dressed up a bit more than the grizzly bear had been, he was wearing a white shirt as he waited by the door.

This time there was no questioning of Noct’s presence, if he had got past the bouncer outside, and nothing untoward had been reported, then that just meant that Noct had the right to be there. There were no words spoken as Noct approached, the hippo simply opened the door for the panther and then closed it again once he had passed.

Noct frowned slightly, he had stepped out into a small shadowy alcove nestled next to one of the bars that surrounded the dance floor of Temptation, which meant that suddenly it was very loud. Noct shook his head slightly and sighed, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he focussed himself, the overpowering noise slowly began to fade down to more manageable levels.

“ _Mic Test, Mic Test_ ” rumbled Noct in his throat as he pressed the chip in his wrist.

“ _Read you loud and clear Mr Gear”_ came the reply inside his head.

Noct nodded, both the mic and the headphones were directional and faced towards Noct’s skin so external noises were supposed to be cut down. Even so, was there a better place to run a field test than a noisy night club? Noct was of the opinion that you could never be prepared enough for any eventuality.

Finally ready, Noct walked out of the shadows and joined the throng of mammals that filled the ground floor of Temptation. Step one was to find a mark, someone to show the way to the more private areas of the club, just from a casual glance Noct could tell that nothing illegal was happening on the ground floor.

_Well nothing like drug and prostitution rings_ he thought to himself wryly as he watched a nearby stoat filch the phone out of a wolf’s pocket while they were distracted.

Noct _could_ simply push through the building blindly, he’d certainly done it before, however the further he could get under the guise of a customer, the easier it would be. Which meant he was on the lookout for his new best friend, Noct just didn’t know who they were yet.

Noct took to the dance floor, by circling the edges he could observe all the mammals around the room, and it was far less noticeable than, say, standing broodily in a corner and looking all around. Dancing was one of the things Noct was least worried about, years of training had left him with a body more flexible than yoga practitioners and with smoother movements than a professional gymnast, and dancing had certainly been part of his education growing up. The strobing lights coming from the DJ over in one of the corners made it even easier for Noct to subtly move around the room without drawing attention to himself.

Noct had made about two thirds of a circle around the night club before he spotted someone suitable. A clouded leopard was sat by herself in a booth, she had a half-drunk whisky on the rocks in front of her, Noct could smell the kind of alcohol, and a rather bored look on her face. What made her interesting to Noct was that, after a few minutes of observation, it was fairly clear to Noct that the leopard wasn’t waiting for anyone.

Noct swiftly made his way through the heaving crowd on the dance floor till he reached one of the bars. Now Noct was not trying to stay unnoticed, the mammals surrounding the bar shuffled out of the way to make room as he walked up, there was something… animalistic about the panther.

A major factor about getting served at any bar, not just at night clubs, is to get the bartender’s attention. Even if the staff are doing a perfect job at serving each patron in the order that they arrived, it didn’t matter at all if the bartender didn’t notice you or forgot you were there.

The bartenders certainly did not miss Noct, he stood at the bar with a small grin on his face as he rhythmically tapped his fingers against the bar, red eyes watched the staff as they moved. Eventually one of the bartenders came to serve Noct, a little earlier in the order than he should have been, but they couldn’t stand Noct’s staring anymore, it was like being under a hunter’s gaze.

Noct ordered two whiskeys on the rocks, the drinks did not take very long to make, and Noct left a fifty dollar note as payment. He left the counter before the bartender could return with his change, Noct had always liked to give tips to hard working citizens. The flickering light hid the feat of agility that was Noct manoeuvring through the writhing crowds without a single drop spilling from the two glasses in his hands.

The booth reappeared in view as Noct stepped out of the crowd, the leopard was still sat there looking bored though she had finished her drink. Noct slipped into the booth and slid one of the whiskeys across the table to the leopard who raised an eyebrow at the sudden intrusion.

“A drink for a friend” said Noct simply as he raised his glass.

“To new friends” the leopard reached out and raised her own glass, Noct seemed to have caught her interest “so what can I do for my new friend?” she asked as she took a sip of her drink, she blinked when she realised it was the same drink she had before and smiled.

“Call me Gear” said Noct smiling back “you looked bored, miss?…”

“Bai Yun” said the leopard leaning on the table.

“Oh, a good name” said Noct gently swirling the ice in his glass “I thought I recognised your accent”

“You understand it?”

“Is it that rare to find someone who knows one of the languages of the East?” smirked Noct.

“You’d be surprised” said Bai Yun, her interest growing “Zootopia isn’t always as multicultural as you would think”

“Oh don’t I know it” chuckled Noct.

“So why exactly did you come and sit with me?” asked Bai Yun “I’m sure there are several mammals nearby who also look bored, there is a group of panthers you could join sat a few booths over I think”

“There certainly are” said Noct “however none of them are quite what I was looking for in a new friend. You see, this club” Noct gestured around them “it’s a little… tame for my liking” a light of understanding appeared in Bai Yun’s eyes “Since I’ve not visited Temptation before, I set about looking for a like-minded individual, and happened upon yourself”

“Oh? What makes you think there is something more to the club? And why do you think I would know?”

“Miss Bai, we are both on a different playing field to most of the mammals enjoying their night here” said Noct with a toothy grin “information about Temptation is easily found if you know where to look”

“While that is certainly true Mr Gear” said Bai Yun tilting her head “what made you think of me?”

“If you interact with a certain type of mammal for long enough then it becomes second nature to recognise one of your own” was all Noct said as explanation.

There was silence, well silence from the two of them, the room was still plenty loud enough. Bai Yun was indeed a mammal of importance, though only on the bottom few rungs of the ladder so to speak. Her family and associates had moved to Zootopia a few years ago, they had a series of Eastern style restaurants and also dabbled a little in organised crime, but they were very new, ranked below even Randal Wombach. Bai Yun was the little miss of the main family, what would normally be a life of leisure was a little more complicated for her now. Since they were so new the family needed to make contacts and acquaintances, allies even, and so Bai Yun found herself having to be a social butterfly. The reason she was here again tonight was in fact to integrate herself into the group of mammals around Mr Wombach.

So when Mr Gear turned out to be another big player in Zootopia Bai Yun immediately began to pay closer attention to him.

“I see” said Bai Yun with a smile “are you also here to try and see Mr Wombach?”

“Hmm, not particularly” said Noct indifferently “I’m just here for a bit of fun, I’d rather avoid the annoyance of dealing with Mr Wombach face to face”

Noct’s rating moved above Randal Wombach’s in Bai Yun’s mind. Preliminary rating anyway, she only had Noct’s words to go on. But the panther certainly did not seem to care about a mammal on the level of Mr Wombach.

“Well I doubt we’ll actually see him” said Bai Yun a bit bitterly “I was mainly here to, well, make some new friends I guess. Still, I have been here before, so the least I can do for the only friend I’ve made so far is take you somewhere a bit more entertaining”

Noct sipped his drink and frowned to himself slightly, Bai Yun grew a bit nervous, had she said something to annoy him?

“This may seem a little rude of me” said Noct slowly “but how old are you Miss Bai?”

“I- I’ll be 22 in a few months” said Bai Yun a little embarrassed.

“And it falls to you to make new connections, your group must still be quite new here in Zootopia”

Bai Yun’s eyes widened as Noct saw through her situation so easily, the panther snorted softly as he watched the changes of expression on her face.

“Yes” said Bai Yun quietly as she took a large mouthful of whiskey “The Bai family only moved to Zootopia two and a bit years ago”

“Family comes first” Noct whispered to himself too quietly for Bai Yun to hear over the noise before he raised his voice “alright, let’s go enjoy ourselves for a bit”

Bai Yun shook her head to clear it a bit, she could get behind that idea, she finished off the last little bits of her drink and stood up. Noct had not been drinking as fast as Bai Yun and her eyebrows shot up when she watched Noct throw back nearly an entire tumbler of whiskey in one go. What was more impressive was that Noct just carried on as if it never happened.

“Lead on” said Noct bowing slightly as he stood “Lead on”

The room was only crowded around the bars and on the dance floor. The area around the edges, where the booths were, was fairly clear, so there were no obstacles in the way for Bai Yun and Noct as the leopard led the way to the nearest stairs. The night club had an upper floor, essentially just balcony space that looked out over the dance floor from above, although there were more booths up here if you wanted slightly more peace and quiet.

Part way along the upper floor, walking to their left, Bai Yun came to a halt. At this point there was actually a small corridor hidden between two booths, rather than them being back to back, and Bai Yun headed down it without missing a beat. Noct nodded to himself as he followed, he had spotted several cameras hidden on the shadowy ceiling that were focused on this area, following a guest was certainly better for staying inconspicuous.

The dark corridor was not particularly long, just enough that you couldn’t make out the other end in the dark, and Bai Yun and Noct soon arrived at a door. There was a very obvious camera located at the top of the frame which swivelled round to get a proper look at the two arrivals. There was silence for a few minutes as Bai Yun waited, she knew how all this worked, it would take a little time for them to verify her identity. She was going to mention something to Noct but found that he was waiting perfectly calmly.

_I guess he’s seen this sort of thing before_ she thought to herself as she turned back to the door.

“Welcome Miss Bai” a slightly scratchy voice suddenly burst out from a speaker built into the ceiling “it’s wonderful to see you at our establishment again, we were wondering who your friend was?”

“This is Mr Gear” said Bai Yun gently “I can vouch for him, he is certainly more suited for the other side of Temptation”

There was a brief pause from the voice over the speaker, perhaps conferring or seeking their superior, before it spoke again.

“Of course we will welcome any friend that Miss Bai recommends” there was a click and the door swung open “welcome to True Temptation”

The speaker went dead once more as Bai Yun led the way and stepped through the doorway. It was slightly anticlimactic as Noct found himself in more corridor.

_They could at least put the door at the main room_ he thought a little annoyed as he picked apart their planning _that way there would be a psychological factor affecting anyone entering. I could understand it for a security matter and to give plenty of prior warning for intruders, but this corridor is clearly too short to make any sort of difference_.

Noct grumbled to himself quietly about how he could design a better layout as he followed Bai Yun. The short corridor turned once to the right before opening up onto another, smaller night club.

There was a much bigger focus on privacy here, the shadowy booths taking up most of the space and their occupants were shrouded in the dark. The dance floor here was much smaller and there were far less mammals dancing. And those that were, were extremely skimpily dressed. Occasionally one of the dancers would move over to one of the booths at some unseen signal and disappear from view.

Other mammals, who given their similar apparel appeared to work here, would make their way between the booths carrying trays or briefcases. Noct could easily make out the kinds of transactions that went on, none of the illegal activities going on could escape his sight, and he gave a little sigh.

_Come on_ he thought to himself _time for work, there are no more cameras here, I guess some mammals prefer their privacy. Get this done and you can go home to Bruma._

Noct grinned, white teeth flashed briefly in the dark while red eyes gleamed.

“So this is True Temptation” said Bai Yun glancing around the club “I hope it’s more to your liking, it is certainly less…  how did you put it… ah yes, tame. Would you like to…”

Bai Yun turned to speak to the mysterious Mr Gear and her eyes widened as she found that he had gone. He clearly hadn’t moved past her into the club and why would he have returned back the way they came after they had only just entered? Bai Yun blinked a few times and looked to her left and right at the nearby booths but there was no sign of the panther.

Bai Yun frowned for a moment before her brows relaxed and she just let out a deep sigh. She was about to turn and try to worm her way into some of the circles of mammals that existed here when her back suddenly felt very cold.

Bai Yun had lived long enough in a certain type of world to know when she was in danger. And, as she swallowed carefully, right now she felt in more danger than she ever had before. There was something behind her, she couldn’t hear anything over the background noise of the club, and she couldn’t bring herself to turn her head even a fraction to check but she _knew_ that there was something there.

“My thanks Miss Bai” came a familiar voice from right beside her ear “however I’m afraid we will have to split up here, I have some work I need to attend to. To make up for my behaviour, and for your assistance, Broken Clockwork owes you a favour” still unmoving, Bai Yun watched as a business card fell into her paws, twisting as it went, one side had a phone number while the other had a spiked circle with a crack running through it “if you or your family ever run into a problem you can’t deal with, then call that number and Broken Clockwork will solve it for you”

As suddenly as it arrived the frigid feeling of danger behind Bai Yun disappeared. Even then it was only after taking a few deep breaths that the leopard slowly turned around. There was no one there but she had half expected that, Bai Yun glanced around the club but there was nothing out of the ordinary.

_Well, nothing out of the ordinary for a place filled with drugs and prostitutes_ she thought bitterly to herself _if my family had just a bit more power I wouldn’t need to come to such a seedy place._

All of a sudden Bai Yun didn’t feel like trying to get into the good graces of any mammal who would visit Temptation. She looked around the club once more, if there was one thing that could be said about Bai Yun it was that she had good instincts, and right now her instincts were telling her to leave. For some reason she had a feeling that there wasn’t much point in trying to aim for Randal Wombach anymore. Bai Yun looked down at the card in her paw, after a moment her eyes seemed to lose their confusion and clear up, she carefully tucked the card away as she headed back down the corridor. Thankfully there was a button to open the door from this side so she could leave without having to explain why.

_And it’s not like this evening was completely wasted_ Bai Yun thought to herself as she headed for the normal nightclub, and from there the exit _There’s definitely more to Mr Gear than meets the eye… and when my parents pester me I can tell them that I made a suitable acquaintance._

* * *

 

Noct had very quickly noticed nightclub staff coming and going through a door at the back of True Temptation. From his spot hiding in the shadows of one of the nearby booths, Noct watched the doorway and those going through it intently.

Some of the staff only opened the door enough to slip through, but those that had to carry something of course needed to open the door wider, and those were the ones Noct waited for. With the door held open enough for him to see through it Noct began to piece together what was on the other side.

There was a corridor, rather dim lighting, and he could make out some crates or boxes littered around. All in all, it seemed like the perfect place for him to sneak through. Now he just had to wait for the perfect moment.

Noct’s patience came into play here, it took nearly twenty minutes before a good situation occurred and Noct was waiting like a coiled spring for it. An antelope waiter carrying a tray of drinks headed for the door like several others had in the past twenty minutes. This time, however, just before they reached it, the door opened as another mammal entered the club. Through it Noct could see that the corridor was empty and he began to move.

He slipped up behind the antelope as they took their turn to go through the door and followed along like a shadow. True Temptation was quieter than the main club, mammals like to hear themselves think when they did business, so it was rather quiet now that Noct had made it ‘backstage’ so to speak. There were three routes to take, one to the left and right and one straight ahead, the waiter took the corridor to the left.

Noct silently padded along the corridor behind the waiter, he kept a close eye on all the hiding spots that he could dive into at a moment’s notice if needed. Now that he was working with a bit more peace and quiet Noct took a long slow breath and focussed on his senses. The scents and sounds that he had forced down to manageable levels in the club came rushing back.

Noct relaxed a bit, he could hear that the corridor ahead was empty and he followed behind the antelope without worries. After turning a corner the waiter showed signs of slowing and Noct crouched in the shadows of a nearby box and waited. Sure enough the waiter stopped at a door a little further along, knocked once and then opened it.

“You guys look like you could use a break from staring at camera feeds all night” Noct heard the waiter say as they entered the room “you know the drill, one drink and one drink only, don’t want the boss to catch you slacking off now”

Noct grinned to himself, now this was a stroke of luck, he had planned to scout the entire floor for any signs of where security was based but it would seem he had chosen the right mammal to follow.

_And that’s another thing_ Noct thought to himself _why is security so easily accessible from the nightclub? I didn’t think it would be this close, it’s just asking for someone to break in, I’m really starting to question the competence of the architect here. And don’t get me started on all these crates lying around…_

A minute later and the antelope reappeared, his tray now empty and tucked under his arm, he made his way back down the corridor towards the club and was oblivious to the panther curled up surprisingly small in the shadow of a crate.

Noct waited till the waiter was out of sight before he closed his eyes and focussed on his hearing once more. It seemed clear, other than the mammals in the security room he couldn’t hear any others nearby, and Noct reached inside his shirt for one of the many packets hidden about his person.

Noct stood from where he had been hiding and approached the door. It had seemed fairly quiet when the antelope had opened it but Noct was taking chances, he opened the door veeeeery slowly in order to keep it silent, he had done more serious jobs where he had taken to oiling every door he had to open but Noct didn’t think Mr Wombach warranted that level of effort.

The door opened without disturbing anyone within and Noct slipped into the room shutting the door behind him just as carefully. One of the walls was covered top to bottom with screens showing the live feed from all the CCTV cameras dotted around the building. Beside that was a large desk with several computers set up, a wolf and a llama were sat in swivel chairs, at the moment their attention was on talking to each other and enjoying the drinks that had just been delivered.

Noct’s lips twitched up slightly as he grasped the packet of black powder. With one silent movement Noct tore the packet apart and sent the powder scattering across the room where it floated gently in the air and caught the wind. This particular drug Noct liked to call Sandman, and true to its name, within moments the two mammals dropped their drinks and slumped back in their seats fast asleep.

Noct waved a thick patch of the powder hanging in the air away from his face, sleeping drugs had the least effect on him, he was practically immune to the stuff which was why he spread it with reckless abandon. The drug itself would break down within a few minutes of being released from its sealed container, leaving behind a simple layer of dust that couldn’t be traced to anything. And the two security mammals would be in for a good few hours sleep that no one would be able to rouse them from.

Pushing the two chairs out of the way Noct moved up to the computers.

“ _Bakari, I’m at the security room, plugging in your USB now_ ” rumbled Noct quietly as he pulled the piece of electronics in question out of his pocket and slotted into one of the ports on the nearest computer.

“ _About time_ ” came the grumbling reply “ _come on, I’m getting antsy… oh, wait a minute, aha! And I am in_ ”

The computer screen suddenly came to life as window after window of data began to open by itself.

“ _Remember the procedure?_ ” asked Noct as he leant against the desk and watched Bakari get on with her work.

“ _Yeah, yeah, don’t worry, I’ll erase you from any video footage_ ” as Bakari said that another window opened up on the computer screen that showed various video footage blinking past at high speed “ _more importantly for you… here is the building layout_ ”

Noct nodded to himself as a blueprint appeared on the screen in front of him. It was a fairly simple design, Noct tried to ignore how poorly thought out bits of it were, and focussed on finding Randal Wombach’s office. It was on this floor, all Noct needed to do really was keep following the corridor, the only issue was that there were several other offices and rooms along the way which could mean company.

“ _There wouldn’t happen to be a camera in Randal’s office would there?_ ” Noct asked curiously.

It was not as stupid an idea as you would think, if anything did occur in his personal quarters then it would all be caught on tape, and since it was his own property it was simple to keep it private.

“ _Let me check_ , _uuugh, yes there is but it’s encoded, let me just deal with that_ ” there was silence from Bakari for a few minutes “ _Okay, Mr Wombach is still in his office, guess the info the Rovers gave you checks out, he should stay there for another forty minutes if he keeps to schedule_ ”

Noct nodded again and pulled the USB from the computer, this made no difference to Bakari now, the USB only carried a program to get her access, now that she was in the USB no longer had any use and Noct wasn’t going to leave any evidence.

Noct paused at the door to listen carefully once more but the coast seemed clear. He left the room and headed to his right, the security room had no traces of the panther, Bakari’s presence on their systems was subtle, and all that was left were the two sleeping mammals who saw nothing out of the ordinary before their impromptu naps. So Noct left on his way deeper into the building completely at ease.

Well, sort of, Noct was still straining his senses for the first signs of another mammal. The store rooms that Noct assumed most of the staff were travelling to and from were located down one of the other corridors so he wasn’t expecting to see any staff from the club coming up behind him. What he _was_ on the lookout for were any mammals patrolling ahead of him.

But as Noct prowled further into the bowels of the nightclub, following the blueprints he had memorised, he saw neither hide nor hair of anyone else. An ear twitched when Noct finally heard something, as he got closer Noct could make out at least seven distinct voices coming from one of the adjacent rooms. Noct prepared himself but, after listening properly for a few moments, he deflated a bit.

There were indeed seven other mammals in the room just up on his left and they were indeed guards and muscle for Randal Wombach however… they were currently all far too drunk to be any cause for concern. From the sounds of it Noct would be impressed if any of them even managed to make it out into the corridor without falling over.

Disappointing guards aside, the route towards Randal Wombach’s office was completely empty. Noct stopped in front of the door and glanced around a few times, he half wanted someone to jump out and make things more interesting but he could hear that he was alone, apart from Mr Wombach himself.

Shaking his head Noct got down to business, he dropped to all fours and checked the bottom of the door, the gap was too small to see anything but that wasn’t why he was looking. Noct was actually checking for the light levels in the room, from the looks of it there was a light source inside but it was not particularly powerful and wasn’t near the doorway.

_Sounds like a desk lamp_ Noct pondered _Lighting… that’s another point, I get it in the club but really why isn’t the rest of this place lit up, I could get in unnoticed even if there were guards on patrol with all the shadows around here_.

Standing up once more Noct very gently opened the door, just a fraction to get a better view and indeed most of the room was quite dim, Noct carefully opened the door wide enough for him to slip inside and closed it again. Thankfully the corridor outside was also poorly lit up and Randal Wombach was working under his desk lamp so didn’t notice the slight change in illumination while the door was open.

Randal Wombach liked schedules. Randal Wombach liked notes. He especially liked to keep notes about his schedules. Which was what he was doing right now; every Friday, for an hour, he would copy the important information he had compiled throughout the week into his notebooks. For the first half hour, which he was still in, he would record the ‘safe’ information in one set of notebooks. Then for the second half hour Randal would retrieve his other notebooks and record the illegal gains for the week. Those notebooks were kept hidden away at all times, unless he had a use for them they would stay hidden till he needed to write in them and then they would go straight back into storage.

Randal’s ears twitched, the room was still nice and quiet just as he liked it, but something seemed to be irritating him. He shook his head to try and clear it but the oppressive feeling in his ears wouldn’t go away, it was like there was something just beyond his hearing and he could almost feel his fur rising on end.

Randal’s nose twitched, the potted plants dotted around the room still gave off a pleasant and natural smell, but something seemed to be irritating him. He took a deep breath to try and see what it was but couldn’t smell anything out of the ordinary. And then right at the end of his inhalation there was a faint sweetness. It was so brief that he wasn’t sure if it was real and took another deep breath.

Randal’s eyes twitched, everything still looked the same and nothing was out of place, but something seemed to be irritating him. He blinked a few times and his desk seemed to twist slightly in the dimness. He rubbed his eyes this time and looked down again, there was nothing wrong with his desk and he sat back in his chair.

_Perhaps I’ve overworked myself_ Randal dismissed that idea, he ran to perfect schedule and nothing had gone wrong so far _unless my schedule is slightly too much and all this has been building up for a long time_.

Randal sighed and put down his pen, he reached for the line of switches on his desk to switch on the main lights for the room, when something caught his eye. There was a flash of red out in the shadowy side of the office and Randal squinted to get a better view, his finger hovering over the light switch but now distracted.

The red flash resolved itself into a pair of bright crimson eyes swaying this way and that in the dark. Randal found himself entranced as the eyes moved round and round, tracing a figure of eight on its side, as they got closer and closer.

And closer and closer and closer and closer and closer and closer and closer and closer and closer…

Noct snorted softly, he was now stood right in front of Randal’s desk and the wombat was sat in his chair staring at the panther dazedly. Noct ignored him for now and reached down to pick up the notebook Randal had been writing in. After flicking through it Noct quickly noticed that there wasn’t anything incriminating written inside and dropped it back on the desk. The pile of paper that was next to the notebook however contained clear details of Mr Wombach’s shadier dealings.

_Well if nothing else, I can use this I guess_ thought Noct before turning back to Randal himself.

“Do you record your illegal dealings?” asked Noct.

“Yes…” said Randal rather robotically.

“Where are these records?”

“In my safe…”

“Show me”

Randal Wombach climbed to his feet rather unsteadily and wobbled his way over to the wall on the left of the room. Lifting a small still life painting of a bowl of fruit out of the way, Randal revealed a keypad built into the wall. Noct sighed at the rather cliché hiding spot but what could you do.

There was a mechanical hiss and Noct’s eyebrow raised slightly as the section of wall to their left slid open to reveal a hidden space. Randal walked to the back of this area, where a hefty looking safe was built into the back wall, and began to use another keypad. Noct’s attention however had been caught by what took up the rest of the hidden space.

A cage. A cage with an occupant. There was a medium sized racoon curled up as small as he could make himself in the farthest corner of the cage. He had looked up the moment the wall had opened but flinched back when he saw that it was just the wombat. He looked up again when he realised that there was someone else there as well, the racoon’s eyes met the panther’s and he quickly diverted his gaze.

Noct turned back to Randal just as the safe opened with a clang, the wombat stood off to the side swaying slightly as Noct stepped up to check the safe. It was pretty empty, a small amount of cash was the only thing other than three notebooks which Noct picked up and flicked through. He grinned, this was more than enough to satisfy Adeline, and pocketed the notebooks.

“Go back to your seat” Noct ordered Randal “forget and sleep!”

Noct snapped his fingers and Randal slowly stumbled his way back to his desk where he sat down. Almost immediately after, his eyes rolled up into his skull and the wombat slumped face first onto the desk, fast asleep. Noct spat to one side, it had only been a very light hypnosis and the wombat had completely caved, clearly a mammal with a weak heart and mind.

“How did you do that?” came a rather cracked voice, the racoon had now realised that Noct wasn’t associated with Mr Wombach.

“Visual, chemical, and auditory hypnosis” said Noct simply as he stepped up to the edge of the cage and began to inspect it “Is this just iron? It’s pretty shoddy work whatever it is”

The claws on Noct’s right paw flicked out and he brought one of them up to the top of one of the cage bars experimentally. It carved through the metal like playdough, less resistance than Noct had been expecting.

“Yep, iron” said Noct to himself as he proceeded to cut through five or six more bars “I mean, I guess it’s fine if you’re just dealing with foxes or racoons, but it’s not much use if something out of the ordinary occurs”

With the bars cut at the top Noct reached out and grabbed the top of the cage with his right paw and one of the partly severed bars with his left. With a small grunt Noct’s muscles bulged as he pulled the bar down, bending almost in half till Noct was satisfied. The racoon just sat there in stunned silence, his muzzle hanging open, as Noct worked his way along the rest of the bars. Once the last one was bent down to the ground Noct stood back and folded his arms.

“Well come on” said Noct gesturing to the hole he had now made in the cage “unless you want to stay here”

Noct’s words seemed to rouse the racoon and he hurriedly scrambled to his feet and clambered out of the gap. He was about to turn and thank the panther for freeing him when he saw black dust billowing in front of his face. Noct reached out and grabbed the racoon before he could hit the floor.

“You just get some sleep” Noct said as he left the hidden space, he pressed a button on the first keypad and the wall slid back into place, he tucked the racoon under his arm and checked that the notebooks were still secure “guess I should make a slight detour before I go home”

Noct didn’t have any more worries, Bakari was still on their system and would make sure there was no evidence of Noct’s presence this evening. Red eyes gleamed in the shadows and then they were gone and Randal Wombach was left alone in his office once more… and the Shade went home.

* * *

 

Consciousness suddenly returned to the racoon and his eyes shot open in shock. There was a dingy grey ceiling above his head, a single lamp without a shade hung in the middle of the room, and straight away he recognised that his surroundings were different. There was no cage for a start.

“Oh good, you’re awake”

The racoon sat up, he found himself on a simple looking camp bed, and as he looked around he noticed how bare the rest of the room was. There were only two other things and that was a table and chair in the centre of the room. The panther who had rescued him was sat there watching him intently.

“Ah” the racoon started to speak but broke into a few coughs first “T-thank you. For saving me I mean, who are you? My name is-“

“Stop right there” said the panther raising a paw “I’ll give you some advice, free of charge, never give out your real name so easily… you can call me Gear”

_So I guess that’s not his real name_ thought the racoon.

“How did we get out?” he asked curiously “How long have I been asleep?”

“Trade secrets” smirked Gear “it’s been about half an hour, we’re at one of my disposable locations, now if you’ll excuse me I have some phone calls I need to make”

The panther pulled out a phone and rapidly typed in a number, the racoon sensibly decided to keep quiet as the call went through.

“3? This is Gear”

“ _Oh? You never call me that at work unless you have company_ ”

“I have company” said Gear glancing at the racoon before returning his attention to his call “I need Adeline’s personal number”

“ _That all? Sure, give me a sec, I just finished cleaning up Temptations security footage_ ”

The call ended and the panther waited in silence, the racoon couldn’t bring himself to break the quiet, there was something unnerving about the mammal sat at the table. About a minute later and Gear’s phone beeped, he glanced down at it and smiled slightly before he started typing in a new number. This time the phone only rang twice before the call was picked up.

_“Who is this? How did you get this number?_ ”

“I have my ways Adeline” smirked Gear.

“ _…Mr Gear? This is a pleasant surprise but I thought we agreed that you didn’t need to contact me about this job?_ ”

“That we did Adeline, and I will be dropping the evidence off at Precinct 1 on Sunday evening ready for the start of the week, I feel like Mr Wombach should stew a little over the weekend, however that is not why I am calling” the panther looked over at the racoon huddled on the camp bed once more “there was a... complication when I completed my assignment”

“ _How so? There shouldn’t be anything Broken Clockwork couldn’t handle_ ”

“Oh there wasn’t, it’s just that I came across a captive when I reached the safe, he’s one of yours”

“ _… I see_ ”

“It wasn’t really in the job description but I’d feel bad if I just left the guy so I took him with me, however that’s as far as my responsibility will go”

“ _Certainly, my family will take care of it from here, where are you?”_

“96, Acacia Street, Savanah Central. The apartment will be unlocked however I will not be present”

With that said the panther ended the call and stood up as he slipped his phone away.

“I will be on my way now, you just need to stay put here” said Gear raising his paws as the racoon began to get agitated “Don’t worry, those phone calls were to sort out some support for you, some other racoons are on their way, they’ll look after you”

The racoon relaxed when he heard that help was on the way and before he noticed Gear was almost out the door and gone.

“Thank you!”

The panther paused, he looked over his shoulder at the racoon and nodded once, and then he was gone.

* * *

 

Noct was stood in his private elevator at the bottom of Chrysalis Tower, he hadn’t pressed a button yet as he wanted to take out his contacts. He was holding the little box that he stored the lenses in but hadn’t made a move to remove them just yet. Noct stared into the red eyes that looked back at him in the mirrored wall.

The thrill of representing Broken Clockwork that had gripped him at the start of the night had long since faded. Noct reached out and gently placed his palm on the mirror, his eyes weren’t very lively, and he was filled with… disappointment.

“Was that it?” he mumbled to himself “any self-respecting scoundrel could have gotten those notebooks, I could have walked in after taking a Suppressor and it would still have been a walk in the park” Noct sighed and his paw dropped down to his side “is there even any point to Broken Clockwork without a bit of challenge?”

Shaking his head slightly Noct reached up and carefully removed the contacts from his eyes. Emerald irises looked back at him now rather than crimson. Noct pushed the button on the lift, right now he just wanted to get home to his mate, he checked the time on his phone and frowned. His work started late anyway, and the delay with the racoon didn’t help things, so Lunette had probably gone to bed by now.

Thinking of Lunette, Noct raised his arm and sniffed, it was still a little faint but the deodorant was wearing off and his natural scent was coming back again. Being a wolf, his mate had a certain attachment to his scent, it made her calm and comfortable and Noct for one found that rather cute.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened to reveal his familiar landing. Noct let himself into the penthouse quietly and focussed on his sensitive hearing one last time. There was a gentle breathing coming from the bedroom upstairs which made Noct smile slightly. First things first however Noct opened the stairs down and returned to the room where he had gotten changed earlier in the evening.

This time however he was getting undressed, all his equipment was deftly removed and placed back on the table, he would go through it again in the morning and store away anything that could be used again. The table quickly filled up again, mostly because of the various packets of drugs and powders Noct had on his person that weren’t used, but eventually everything had been sorted.

Not bothering to get dressed once more Noct padded out of the room and back down the corridor to the stairs. He started climbing, up into the living room where the floor slid shut behind him, and then further to the upper floor. Noct quietly opened the bedroom door and slipped inside, it was dark but his eyes could see perfectly well, Lunette was curled up with the covers wrapped around her tightly, Noct could never work out how she managed that.

Noct made a quick detour to the bathroom, not because he needed the toilet but to take a suppressor, while his home was dark and quiet at the moment Noct would prefer his senses to be under control when the morning sun rose. There was always a stash of Suppressors in the bathroom cabinet above the sink and Noct quickly dropped one in a glass of water and necked the resultant brew.

He watched in the mirror as his pupils trembled for a long moment before the drug kicked in properly and they returned to their normal round shape. Other than that, Noct could feel his senses dampening slowly but he knew that would take a while, he would be back to normal by the morning.

Rinsing out the glass and placing it back on the sink, Noct dried his hands and then returned to the bedroom. He paused by the bed to just look down at Lunette, he adored her sleeping face, and a good thing too since he saw a lot of it but he just never got tired of it.

Noct shifted the tangled covers and slipped into bed next to Lunette, her ear twitched at the movement and she rolled over to nestle against his chest. She didn’t stir, in fact Noct’s presence seemed to send her drifting into a deeper sleep. Noct gently stroked the back of Lunette’s head a few times before settling down himself. It had been a few days now and Noct was looking forwards to that rare occasion where he could fall asleep with the love of his life in his arms.

_Well_ he thought drowsily _regardless of how work goes… I could never complain… if I was coming back to… Bruma…_

Two lots of gentle breathing could be heard now, and while it was only going to be for a short time… the Shade slept.


End file.
